What Should've Happened
by Sparrow2000
Summary: What happened the year before she became human? What happened to Urchin? Did she really want to become human when she was 15? Are Ariel and Urchin more than friends? Was there more than just the small circle of friends? Who are these other characters? Find out the answers now! (a bit of crossover in a few chapters)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"You are being called to attend a peace seminar in Lerdois and speak with their honorable Prince Tsunami."

Ariel became heart-broken at the news her father just gave her. Her posture said she was willing to go, but her eyes said she couldn't leave. The youngest of seven princesses was only fifteen and her father, King Triton, was telling her that she had to leave after just coming home from foiling another one of Emperor Sharga's schemes to take control of Atantica.

"But Daddy, I just came home. Can't I just stay in Atlantic for a while before heading off to a peace negotiation?" the teen mermaid pleaded.

Triton considered her and sighed. "I suppose so."

Ariel beamed happily at her father's words. "Thank you Daddy!" She swam up to him and gave the old sea king a tight hug.

"You're welcome." Ariel was now swimming out of the palace. "But be ready to go in a week's time!" he called after her. The king sighed. "This is going to be a long week."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Hah!" a younger merman exclaimed proudly. "You're it now!"

A yellow and blue tang followed after him, laughing happily. "Not for long!"

The two chased each other around the coral, laughing and joking at one another until the young princess nearly zips past them! She stops suddenly and turns around to see her two best friends.

"Flounder! Urchin!" she exclaims excitedly.

"Hi Ariel!" both say in unison.

"I just finished talking with Daddy," Ariel explained, getting straight to the point.

Urchin and Flounder exchange a curious expression. "Why were you talking with him so early?" the merman asked.

"Yeah Ariel," the small fish agreed. "Usually your father talks to you later in the day, especially after you've gone through a shipwreck, or got attacked by a shark, or caused trouble with Ursula, or—"

"I think I understand Flounder," Ariel answered, effectively hushing the guppy. "But Daddy wants me to go to another kingdom for a peace negotiation."

"That's cool!" Urchin exclaimed. "When do you leave?"

"In one week," Ariel answered, her earlier smile slowly dissipating. "But I'll be gone for over a month."

Urchin and Flounder both slumped where they floated in the clear ocean water.

"That long?" Flounder said sadly. "What about all our adventures?"

Ariel grinned reassuringly. "I'll still be able to write to you. Dolphin-mail of course. It'll be over before you know it."

"I hope so," Urchin muttered, quite loudly too, earning a confused look from his red-headed friend. Realizing what he just said, the merteen quickly tried to save himself. "I just meant that I hope you're back soon so we can have adventures again!"

The young princess rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sure I will be Urchin. We still have a week to have the best adventures possible!"

The merteen smiled. "Yeah, let's get started!" He was calm but still sad that his friend was leaving.

The three friends swam off to find a new adventure. It didn't take long until the small group came across a whale pod—a killer whale pod to be exact. A younger whale looked below him, seeing the tang and two merteens swimming and playing, swam towards them. He made a happy sound, catching their attention. The mermaid beamed at the sight of the killer whale swimming toward them. The merman even recognized him.

"Spot!" Ariel exclaimed.

She swam, meeting him in the middle and giving the whale the best hug she could. Spot nudged her happily, wanting to play. Flounder and Urchin swam over to say hi to their friend.

"Hi Spot," Flounder greeted. "Remember me?"

Spot made another happy sound, nodding his big head. Flounder was spinning from the current it made and landed in Urchin's arms.

The young merman laughed. "I think he said yes." He turned to the whale. "Hi Spot. I'm Urchin. I'm friends with Ariel and Flounder."

Spot smiled and turned around, his tail now under a confused Urchin as Spot brought his tail up, launching Urchin up through the ocean waves and back down again. Urchin screamed with excitement at the game. He was laughing when he was with his friends again.

"That was so fun!" Urchin exclaimed excitedly. Spot agreed with him, nodding his head and making happy bellows.

Ariel giggled at her friends and had them hurry along to find someone. All three followed her to a cave not far from the Seaweed Forest. There was yelling inside the cave when the small group hid behind a coral wall. Before long, a young manta comes sullenly out of the cave. Ariel whispers to him and he looks up. With a smile on his face, he follows Ariel and her friends to another adventure.

"Hi Ariel," Little Evil said. "What are we doing today?"

Ariel giggled. "Something we'll never forget. But I want all of my friends there to have fun." The small, but growing group continued on.

Ariel gathered all of her friends, just like she said she would. Little Evil, Gabriella, Ollie, Lucky, Simon, even all her sisters! Others were there as well, especially from neighboring kingdoms. Pearl even showed up for the fun. But for some strange reason, Ariel most excited that Urchin was still around as her friend. She saw him every day yes, but something between the two had changed. It was even in his smile when he glanced at Ariel before greeting everyone. Ariel brushed it off as she went to greet the entire ocean.

"Welcome everyone to my Good Luck celebration!" Ariel began. "I will be leaving in one week to another kingdom for a peace negotiation for my father. I will be gone for a month and wish to spend my week with all of my amazing friends."

Gabriella, well technically Ollie, spoke up. "Why is the king not going this time?"

Ariel caught herself off-guard. "I'm not really sure. He said that I was to go in his place. I'm not really sure why though. But we are going to have some fun before I leave!"

The fun began. Ariel started the party with singing a beautiful song. It was the same song she sang to defeat Evil Manta when he tried to control Atlantic. All sea creatures sang along, dancing to the rhythm.

During the whole event, Urchin was smiling dreamily at his friend. He never even noticed what he was doing until a small, red crab crept up beside him. Urchin sighed subconsciously.

The crab grinned knowingly. "She is beautiful, is she not?" he asked in his thick Caribbean accent.

The merman jumped at the question, quickly recomposing himself. "I don't know what you're talking about Sebastian." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Even I can see dat you're in love wit de princess." The wise crab raised a brow.

Urchin sighed in defeat. "So what if I do? She's the princess!" The young merman gestured toward the energetic red-head playing with her friends. "I can't ask for her hand. It's not like I could just go up to her and say 'Hey Ariel marry me?' and then we're together. Even I know it doesn't work like that."

Sebastian grinned at the boy. "You're forgetting one ting mon. The king tinks of you as his own son." Urchin looked at the royal advisor. "He wouldn't mind at all."

"But I'm not even old enough." Urchin reminded the crustacean. "She's only fifteen."

"True. We don't know how old you are, but dat won't stop anyting." The crab gave a broad grin. "She likes you. I know it." He patted Urchin on the shoulder and scurried off.

Urchin sat and watched his first and closest friend as she had fun with every creature under the sea. He began to smile again, thinking of her as queen of Atlantica. He pictured her wearing the crown and sitting in her father's throne, wisely leading the seven seas. But he mostly saw her going through all seven seas to keep peace and stop trouble before it started.

Then Urchin saw someone beside her, aiding her in her quest: himself. He smiled even more at the thought of being next to her when she becomes queen. He had helped her on many occasions—whenever an adventure went wrong anyway. He had even 'borrowed' the trident to free her from an octopus' cave in Shark Canyon. That's when Triton had accepted him.

"Sebastian's right," the merteen said to himself. "I've got nothing to worry about."

"Who's got nothing to worry about?" a voice said from behind the merteen.

Urchin quickly spun around to find Ariel floating behind him with a bright smile. He turned back around to hide his blush. "No one has anything to worry about because of you." He mentally slapped himself.

Ariel giggled. "Thanks Urchin. Now, why are you up here alone instead of having fun with your friends?"

Urchin barely glanced at the young princess. "I just wanted to watch for a while."

The mergirl rolled her eyes. "Not anymore," she said, grabbing his hand and causing Urchin's heart to race. "You're coming with me. We're going to play a great game of Coral Search."

The merteen's heart was racing too fast for him to answer. So he just nodded in agreement. Ariel took him to the coral field nearby and hid with everyone else.

"Spot is searching this time," she quickly clarified.

Urchin was more focused on trying to breathe normally and slow his heartbeat. He was literally one inch from Ariel's face.

_She's so beautiful._ The merteen thought to himself. _Maybe Triton would be okay if I asked. But I'll ask to be sure._

While Urchin debated with himself, Ariel caught him staring intensely at her. "Are you okay Urchin?" she whispered to her friend. "You look a little pale."

The boy came out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm okay." He tried to bring up his tough look, failing miserably as he lost balance from hitting the coral and falling on top of Ariel, his tail not moving fast enough.

Ariel grunted when her back hit the sandy bottom. Urchin noticed he was now on top of her, his hands in the sand on either side of the princess as she moved to lean on her elbows. She looked up to find Urchin staring at her, their faces inches apart.

"A-are you okay A-Ariel?" Urchin asked, his voice shaky.

The mergirl in question blinked. "Yes," she slowly answered. A small grin began to appear on her features. "Are you okay?"

Urchin slowly nodded. Neither moved for a long time. No one had found them yet as they forgot all about the game. Both merteens were frozen where they were, neither ever being in this kind of predicament. Urchin finally dared to move as he leaned closer to the princess and gently kissed her cheek. When he backed away he saw the shock on the young girl's face.

His eyes widened and he quickly got up. "I'm so sorry Ariel!" he exclaimed in embarrassment. "I-I-I don't know what that was! I'm sorry!"

"Urchin," Ariel said calmly as she now floated next to her friend. "It's okay."

The young merman froze. "You're okay with it?"

The girl nodded with a chuckle. "It's okay." Then she leaned over and kissed his cheek in return. "You're a great friend Urchin."

Urchin began to smile. "Thanks Ariel." He now had a goofy grin on his features.

"Found them!" Both merteens spun around to find Adella shouting in victory. "I found them! I found them!"

Ariel rolled her eyes at her sister while Urchin huffed out of his mouth. "So much for a winning streak," Ariel grumbled sarcastically.

Urchin grinned at her. "I have to go speak with your father about something," he said, waving good-bye to his friend.

"I'll see you later Urchin," she called to him, waving in return.

The merboy smiled and swam as quickly as he could to the palace. He wanted to speak with Triton about his thoughts from earlier, hopefully in a subtle way. He didn't want to give away the fact that he was thinking of marrying Ariel himself.

It didn't take long for him to find the king as he was usually found in the throne room. Sebastian was handing him papers to sign when he came in. Sebastian looked up as he explained the next document to be signed.

"Dis is de agreement to be sent wit Ariel next week to Lerdois," he explained.

"This is the most important document for the next month," the king explained as he signed the paper. "Keep it in a very safe place Sebastian."

"Of course sire," Sebastian answered. "Now, you have a visitor."

Triton looked up and saw Urchin floating ten feet from him, the merboy's eyes lowered. The king smiled heartily. "You know Urchin, you can come see me anytime. And you don't need to be scared anymore. You are a son to me."

Urchin took a deep breath and looked up. "Sir, I was speaking with Sebastian earlier and he mentioned that Ariel may be proposed to while in Lerdois. Isn't she a bit young?" It was a lie, yes, but Urchin wanted to use the most subtle of ways to find out. He also saw the confused expression on the crab's face.

The question took Triton by surprise. He thought for a moment. "I suppose she is a bit young to be married." Urchin bit his lip nervously. "But I'm afraid I don't know how things work in Lerdois. They may allow marriage at age fifteen."

"But sir, even if she is going there, will she _have to_ abide by their laws if that happens?" Urchin was beginning to press the matter without knowing it.

Triton was surprised by the merteen's concern over the matter. "Well, yes. But if she finds one law offensive, she may speak up. She isn't allowed to change it. Although, if she is proposed to while there, it will mean a union of two kingdoms. That means an even stronger peace."

Urchin began to slump a bit at the thought of losing his closest friend to another kingdom's rules. "Of course sir."

Triton began to notice something in Urchin's posture. "You're concerned for Ariel, aren't you Urchin?"

The merboy looked back up to the king, nodding. "Yes sir. She is my friend. I would miss her greatly if that were to happen." _I also like her a lot._

Triton smiled warmly. "I promise to make sure she isn't taken from our home. I would miss my youngest daughter just as much as the rest of the kingdom."

"I know sir," Urchin agreed and began to leave. "I just wish that I could be the one to marry her," he muttered silently. He was out of the throne room when Triton finally turned to Sebastian.

"What's going on?" he asked curiously.

Sebastian grinned. "Urchin seems to be in love wit Ariel."

Triton studied the crab. "In love? With my daughter?" Sebastian nodded. "Well I'll be a sea-monkey's uncle," Triton said in disbelief as a grin crossed his lips. "I believe I should hear a little more about this, situation, eh Sebastian?"

The crab beamed. "I'll get right on it your majesty!" Sebastian answered happily and hurried out of the throne room.

Triton sat in his throne, pondering about all the times when Urchin saved his daughter in the past three years. Urchin even risked losing the trident to save her, had gone into battle to bring her home, fought many creatures and had even proved how brave he could be in all of that to the king himself.

"I believe Urchin is the right merman for Ariel," the king mused. "He is perfect for her."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Urchin was now on his way to Ariel's grotto to speak with her. She had become interested in human trinkets not long before the two merteens had met. Urchin knew how much she loved her collection and had seen it on many occasions. He was always amazed at how enthralled she was with humans, no matter what her father said about them.

As he neared the grotto, the merboy noticed the rock was moved out of the way.

_Ariel must be here._

Urchin continued on, finding the princess laying on the sand bank and looking up, admiring her collection. She had a wide grin on her features and a dreamy look in her eyes. Then her expression changed and she became sad. The merboy stayed back when he heard her speak.

"Oh Flounder," the mermaid sighed. "How am I supposed to tell Daddy I can't go?"

"You can just say that you have other plans," the small fish suggested.

The mermaid sighed again. "But I can't lie to him anymore. I've kept too much from him already." Urchin watched as Ariel sat up, looking down at her hands. "If only I could tell him I don't want to leave. Or just say that…I'm in love." The mergirl sighed dreamily and laid on the sandy bank again, her hair around her like seaweed on the water's surface.

The merboy covered his mouth to hold in a gasp, but smiled behind it. The smile quickly disappeared as he wondered who the merman was that she loved. It could even be Thor from Olympia. Urchin definitely remembered him and the misunderstanding between the kingdoms. He risked finding Ariel in the middle of a battle between merfolk and Sharkanian. It was also when he realized how he felt about Ariel. Granted, he hadn't known her for very long, but liked her nonetheless.

"I'm just happy it isn't Thor," the guppy commented.

Urchin silently sighed with relief.

Ariel chuckled at her fish-friend. "I don't what would happen if I fell in love with him."

"I would find him and pummel him myself," Urchin said to himself.

"At least he's going to be in Lerdois though. I need a friend to help me when I leave." Urchin saw Ariel grin thankfully.

"What?!" Unfortunately, Urchin had shouted that and lost his balance and fell forward, landing only a few feet from Ariel and Flounder.

"Urchin!" Ariel gasped in surprise.

The merboy shook his head and looked warily at his friend with a nervous chuckle. "Hi Ariel. What's going on?"

The mermaid scowled at him. "What are you doing here?" She was now sitting up with her hands on her hips.

"I was swimming by and decided to drop in," the merboy explained as he sat up. "I just happened to float in when you said Thor was helping you in Lerdois."

The mergirl's scowl softened as she sighed. "Yes, Thor is aiding me. Daddy said that first, before he told me where I was going and for how long. Thor is to escort me there because he's been there before and knows their customs. It will help me a lot."

Urchin listened carefully, not wanting to make another wrong judgment. "And you're okay with it?"

"Since the misunderstanding was a year ago, yes." The mermaid smiled. "Both kingdoms are friends now and Thor was the only merman available to aid me in my quest. It's like an adventure we get to share since we became friends."

"But it's an adventure without us," Urchin reminded her. "It won't even be fun here for the next month while you're gone."

Ariel frowned. "Daddy said it might be longer."

Urchin looked at his friend, his expression heart-broken. "Longer?"

The mermaid nodded, her head down and eyes staring at the sand beneath her. "I wish you both could come with me."

"You know how I hate seeing you so sad," the blond merboy said. Then he had an idea. "Let's go do something fun."

The red head looked up to see a huge smile and couldn't help but smile back. "Okay Urchin," she finally answered. "But what are we going to do? I already finished that game with all of our friends hours ago."

Urchin gave a mischievous grin. "You'll see."

With that, he took her hand and led her out of the grotto, Flounder following close behind with the mermaid's treasure bag. The young merman took them to a big shipwreck. Ariel was amazed at the wreck before her. She had never seen anything like it. It wasn't like the wooden ships she had seen many times before. No, this was much bigger and much more fascinating.

"How did you find this?" she asked curiously. "I've never seen it before."

"I happened to pass by it a week ago and wanted to show you," Urchin explained as the three slowed to a stop, floating next to the giant ship. "I guess now's a good a time as any."

Ariel lunged forward and gave him a big hug, nearly squeezing the life out of him. Flounder just gawked at the structure the merboy was showing their friend.

"It's amazing Urchin!" the mermaid exclaimed when she let go of her friend. "Let's go inside!" she shouted excitedly.

Urchin smiled and led her in. To Ariel, a sunken ship was full of treasure. To Urchin, it was a gift to Ariel and a fun place for games. To Flounder, it was just a place where you found sharks. But it was the most special to Ariel. The princess found all kinds of human things in them. She's found thingamabobs, thingamajiggers, whose-its, and all kinds of other things.

As she was looking around the enormous ship, the red head looked at Urchin with a curious look. "What's up with you today?"

The merboy was taken by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you're acting strange." The two stopped while Flounder shakily looked around a bit more. "This morning you were more upset than Flounder when I told you where I was going. During the game, you kissed my cheek and now you're showing me this amazing shipwreck. Is something going on?"

Urchin was now trying very hard to hide his blush. "I just want to show you something cool before you leave. I found all kinds of things in here while you were helping your father last week and thought I'd look around and try to name a few things. I might be wrong, so I brought you to help me." By now, the merboy's face was very red as he rubbed his arm awkwardly.

Ariel grinned. "Alright, I'll help you name some things. But Archimedes is better than me at this."

The two continued on to catch up with their guppy friend. It was silent for a while until Urchin finally spoke up.

"About earlier," he stated, catching his friend's attention. "I just didn't know what happened. It just sorta did."

"It's alright Urchin," Ariel said, in an almost understanding sort of way. "I'd probably feel the same if you were leaving instead of me."

Urchin glanced curiously at her just as she saw something behind him sparkle. The mermaid rushed over, leaving Urchin confused. When he finally saw what she was doing, he swam to her side.

"What did you find?" he asked curiously.

The princess was holding a small, sharp object. "It looks like something you throw or slice with," Ariel mused. "I'll have to show Archimedes."

She was putting the object in her bag just as she noticed something on the floor. The mermaid picked it up, looking at it from every angle. It was a drawing of a woman lying on a sofa-chair. She wasn't wearing any clothes but had a jewel around her neck.

"Wow," Ariel breathed in amazement. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"It looks like one of those pictures you have," Flounder piped up. "But she doesn't have any of those things humans usually have." The guppy scratched his head with his fin. "Why doesn't she?"

"I don't know Flounder," the mermaid answered. "But I bet Archimedes will." She placed the picture in her bag with the sharp object, careful not to damage either.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The three continued to look around the ship, finding many things, including an ax—Urchin thought it was a sharp stick. Flounder was on edge, watching for sharks and giant squids while Ariel and Urchin wondered what things were. Flounder hit something with his fin at one point and the object became bigger and floated to the ceiling. Ariel studied the object a while, even trying to wear it. She couldn't swim down with it and finally decided not to take it back to the grotto.

"So much for learning what that one was," Ariel grumbled.

"It's okay Ariel," Urchin comforted. "Maybe we could bring Archimedes here tomorrow and find out."

Ariel suddenly perked up. "Oh no! We have to get back."

Urchin mentally slapped himself. "We've been out here forever, haven't we?"

Ariel nodded quickly as the three swam quickly out of the ship and back home. They went straight to the palace. Urchin was allowed to stay in the palace but had declined and said good-bye to his friends for the night.

"Meet us at the grotto so we can go to Archimedes together," Ariel instructed.

Urchin agreed and took Flounder home with him. Ariel went inside her palace home, slipping past the guards, but was unfortunately caught by Arista.

"Where were you?" her sister whispered harshly.

Ariel winced at her sister's tone. Only being three years older, Arista wasn't as bossy as their older sister Attina, but did argue with Ariel a lot.

"I was out a bit longer than expected?" the red head answered with a shrug.

The blond glared at her sister. "Father was waiting."

Ariel gave a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry Arista. I was out with Flounder and Urchin."

"Another shipwreck?" the elder sister asked, almost demanding. Ariel nodded, biting her lip. Arista sighed. "Why didn't you say so? You know I wanted to go on one of your adventures."

Ariel had to cover her mouth to contain her laughter in the quiet palace. "Sorry Arista. I forgot about that."

Arista smiled. "Come on little sis. Let's go to bed."

A giggling Ariel followed her sister to their room, careful not to wake their sisters when they entered and went to their respectively beds. Neither could really sleep though. So Ariel decided to talk with Arista about the next day, being careful not to wake their sisters.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Flounder and Urchin were now at the merboy's cave, ready for bed. Unfortunately, Urchin wanted to stay up and talk about the whole week he had planned.

"Then we'll go to Shark Canyon and look for another one of those glow shells. After that, we'll—!"

The guppy groaned, interrupting his friend. "Can we please get some sleep so you can do all that later?"

Urchin chuckled. "Alright. Good-night Flounder."

Just like Flounder, Urchin fell asleep quickly. The young merman began to dream, thinking about Ariel…

"_Unhand her!" Urchin shouted at the sharkanian, sword in hand._

_The young merman was a much bigger build, having muscles larger than the king himself. He held the weapon defensively as the Sharkanian laughed._

"_Do you really think _that_ will stop me?" The sharkanian laughed again. He held the princess, keeping her hands behind her back. "I'm sure you know how much of a prize she is to Emperor Sharga." The sharkanian tightened his grip, making Ariel yelp in pain._

_Urchin's brow furrowed in anger. "I said, Let. Her. Go!"_

_He charged the sharkanian, ready to slash at him with his sword. The sharkanian scowled at the merboy, preparing for the blow and moving the princess in front of himself for protection. Urchin saw this and quickly corkscrewed to avoid hitting his friend. The sword slipped from the merboy's hand but Urchin didn't stop. He had just collided with the sharkanian as Ariel was suddenly thrown from the enemy's grasp into a rock. With the sharkanian unconscious, Urchin turned around to find Ariel on the sandy bottom, not moving. He swam quickly to her._

"_Ariel?" he asked, hoping and praying she was okay. He gently picked her up, carefully supporting her head, as if it were a frail shell. "Ariel?" he tried again. "Please don't leave me. I don't ever want you to go away, ever."_

_The merboy began to cry, leaning his head on Ariel's. The mermaid slowly began to stir. Urchin felt her movements and looked right into her eyes. The young princess blinked slowly, noticing Urchin holding her._

"_Urchin?" she said._

_He nodded. "Yes?"_

_Ariel was going unconscious again. "Behind, you…"_

_Urchin felt something hit…_

"AHHHH!"

"AHHHH!"

The merboy's scream had awakened Flounder. Both were now screaming loudly until Urchin stopped and took a deep breath. Flounder stopped about the same time, staring at Urchin in bewilderment.

"Heh, I thought I was the one who always got scared," the guppy said sarcastically.

The merboy scowled at his friend. "Shut up."

Flounder eyed the merboy, scratching his head with his fin. "What's with you? You're usually ready to go and see Ariel."

Urchin straightened. "Oh no!" The blond merboy slapped his forehead. "We have to get to the grotto. Ariel's going to bring Archimedes today."

Urchin quickly got ready for the day, swimming this way and that, while Flounder just floated in the entrance, more confused than an eel in a school of fish. After a few minutes, Urchin was finished and already swimming past Flounder and toward the grotto. Flounder had to go faster than usual to keep up this time.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

In the palace, Triton's daughters were all just waking. All accept a blond mermaid with a red tail and one certain red-head with a green tail anyway. Attina, Alana, Andrina, Aquata and Adella were all quickly getting ready to spend the day with their friends. Ariel and Arista were sleeping in from their late-night chat. Before they fell asleep, Ariel had promised Arista that she could come along that day to see one of her adventures.

The other five mergirls were now finished primping themselves and had left the room when the last two were just waking.

Both noticed that they were now alone and giggled.

"I guess no one wanted to wake us," the oldest said with a shrug.

"I guess you're right," the younger agreed.

Arista had decided to start getting ready while Ariel pulled out her treasure bag. The blond sister turned around upon seeing the bag in the mirror. She looked curiously at her youngest sister as Ariel rummaged through it, finally pulling out the picture of the girl she found. The older mermaid swam closer, finding it quite intriguing and forgetting about primping herself.

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

Ariel looked at her sister in surprise. "I'm not really sure. I found it in the newest shipwreck and want to show Archimedes to find out." The red head had a huge grin on her features.

Arista cocked her head curiously. "Who's Archimedes?"

"He's the human expert!" Ariel exclaimed excitedly. "He once helped us return a human to the surface." Ariel dramatically waved her hands while explaining the adventure as the two swam out of their room, Ariel's bag in hand. "The human was in a giant metal fish and had this strange furry creature. He was stuck though, because his fish couldn't move. Archimedes told me that it was because of the leaking air."

"Air?" The older sister asked in confusion.

"Humans need air to live," Ariel explained to her. "We need to be in the water."

The two sisters had arrived to the throne room, crossing paths with their father, sisters and Sebastian. They stopped suddenly and looked up to see a curious look on the sea king's features.

"Good morning girls," the king greeted.

"Good morning father," Arista replied.

"Morning Daddy," Ariel answered. The young red head was never the most manner able of the family. "Sorry we can't stay but Arista and I have to meet with Urchin and Flounder."

"Before you go," the king stated, stopping Ariel from hurrying her sister out of the palace. "You do know you leave in a few days?"

Ariel nodded slowly. "Yes Daddy. And I want to spend time with my friends, having as many adventures as possible before I go."

Triton smiled. "As long as it doesn't involve any, er, peace issues."

Ariel and Arista grinned widely, kissed their father and swam out with a happy 'good-bye'. The girls swam to Ariel's secret grotto. The younger told her sister the previous night, making sure she promised to keep it a secret.

"Whoa!" Arista was breathless at the sight of her sister's grotto. "I've never seen anything like this Ariel!"

The red head giggled. "I knew you would want to see it. But we're meeting Urchin and Flounder here. We're all going to see Archimedes about some new treasures I found." The young princess went to an old music box. "This is the safest place in the ocean for my treasures."

Arista looked curiously at the small, overstuffed shoulder bag. "You carry all of your new treasures in there?" The blond princess pointed at the bag in question.

Ariel nodded. "I've used it since I was only ten. A few years later, I met Archimedes and he taught me everything I know about humans."

"That's incredible," Arista complimented with a bright grin.

"Ariel!"

The sisters swam quickly to the entrance of the grotto, finding the guppy and merboy waiting for them. The two new arrivals looked at Arista in confusion. The older princess waved nervously at her sister's suspicious friends.

"Not to be mean or anything," Urchin spoke up. "But why is Arista here?"

"She's coming with us to see Archimedes," Ariel answered modestly.

Urchin scratched his head. _Great._ He thought to himself. _I thought she never told them anything._

"I told Arista everything last night."

"What?!" Flounder shouted in panic. "What if she tells your father?"

Arista giggled. "I once told Ariel that I was envious of her adventures. She agreed to take me on one after we saved the palace while we were beached."

Urchin and Flounder's eyes were wide. "It was that long ago?" Urchin asked, hoping this would explain everything.

Both sisters nodded and giggled, swimming off to find the undersea human expert. Flounder and Urchin followed quickly, not wanting to miss what would happen. All four swam quickly through the ocean, heading toward the isolated home of Archimedes. They passed a few friends along the way, including Spot! Ariel smiled at her big-little friend as he played tag with them. Though they were playing, the small group was still well on their way to Archimedes.

Ariel's eyes suddenly lit up. "There it is!" She pointed at a small ship in the side on the undersea cliff.

"We made it," Flounder sighed with relief.

The small group of five swam closer. Ariel reached out and knocked and the door. Arista became very nervous as she bit her lip. Urchin was excited to know about what he and Ariel had found at the shipwreck. Flounder decided to stay back a while and play outside with Spot. The door opened to reveal an older merman with white hair and a purple tail.

"Ariel," he said with a smile. His voice was warm and inviting while also toned with wisdom.

"Hi Archimedes," Ariel greeted. "This is my sister, Arista and this is Urchin."

Archimedes gave a smile as warm as the sun. "Pleased to meet you both. Now what are you here for Ariel? More treasures to explain?"

Ariel smiled knowingly. "You can bet on that Archimedes." The young mermaid reached into her bag. "I found this at a new shipwreck that Urchin found." She pulled out the drawing of the girl.

Archimedes studied it for a while and motioned the others to follow him inside. The three merteens obeyed as the guppy and whale continued their game outside. The three merteens headed into the small home, following the aged merman.

"This is quite interesting Ariel," Archimedes commented. "Where did you find it?"

"In a shipwreck Urchin found," the young mermaid answered.

Archimedes studied the drawing more and finally looked at the three merteens. "I have heard of this drawing before."

"Drawing?" Urchin asked in confusion.

"What's a drawing?" Arista asked, equally confused.

"A drawing is like a painting, but with no color," Archimedes explained.

Ariel and Urchin quickly understood. Arista, still new to Ariel's hobby, was even more confused. She tried to understand but failed miserably.

"A painting is a thing of someone or something that will last forever," Ariel clarified after seeing her lost sister. Arista grinned in understanding.

Archimedes grinned at the two sisters. "This drawing was in fact on a special ship that was crossing the sea but never finished its voyage. It had hit an iceberg and sank."

"Whoa," Urchin exclaimed.

"So everything we found was from that ship?" Ariel guessed, receiving a nod from her teacher. "Wow! That's amazing!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"You have quite a hobby Ariel," Arista commented on the way back to Atlantica after dropping off Ariel's latest treasures at the grotto for the fourth time that week. Ariel would be leaving in only two days.

The younger sister giggled. "Now you understand why I love human things."

The sisters, Urchin, Flounder and Spot were almost back at the palace when Simon interrupted their conversation.

"Hi guys!" he greeted cheerfully.

Ariel smiled. "Hi Simon!" she replied with a wave. "We were just heading home. Is there anything you need?"

Simon smiled. "Not really. I just wanted to say hi to my friends."

The group smiled back.

"Well, I'm going to say hi to more sea creatures. You guys have fun!"

"Bye Simon!" Ariel called after him with a wave.

Arista, Flounder and Spot continued on while Urchin held Ariel back. The red-head looked at her friend, concerned and puzzled at him.

"Is everything alright Urchin?" She began to feel a bit flushed at his touch.

Urchin visibly gulped, his face becoming hot. "Yeah, it's just that I wanted to speak with you about the next month. You leave in only a couple more days and I wanted to tell you something." The merboy didn't know how to say that he liked her. The words just wouldn't come out like he tried to will them to.

Ariel looked at her friend, waiting patiently for him to speak as she noticed a light blush on his face. Her face felt warm as she looked at the matured merboy. She hadn't noticed it much, but he had more muscles and become much more handsome in the last year. Her cheeks began to feel hot as she noticed this, almost not even realizing he had caught her staring at him at all.

"Ariel?"

The mermaid blinked, her cheeks now a light pink, as she nodded at her friend.

Urchin smiled a bit. "Good, because I think you spaced out for a second."

Ariel blushed lightly as she looked at her good friend. "What were you going to say a moment ago?"

Realization finally hit Urchin. "Right, well, um, you're leaving in two days and I just wanted to tell you that I, uh, that I…" The merboy's voice trailed off as he didn't know what to say to the mermaid he so desperately wanted to be with for the past year.

Ariel floated next to him, her hand still in his. She blushed again just feeling his touch. She cleared her throat after Urchin had trailed off. He looked at her, noticing the slight shade of pink across her cheeks and felt his face become hot as he tried to regain his composure. The two merteens floated where they were for a long time. It took a while before Ariel finally spoke.

"Well, I think I should get home before Daddy begins to worry again. You can tell me in the morning," she said, trying to brighten his spirits.

The merboy barely nodded. "Right. We still have one more day to talk." He gave a goofy grin as the mermaid bid him good-night, slipping her hand away from his slowly. Urchin had to continually reassure himself that she probably didn't love him back and that it wasn't worth the trouble to have her debate her feelings over the next month. But the young merboy felt the pure anguish of her hand no longer in his.

"I guess I can wake up early and talk to her," Urchin mused as he swam home for a good night's sleep, anticipating an amazing day ahead.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry it took so long! It took a while to come up with/remember a few things from the series. Also, sorry this is so short! Ch 9 will be longer.**

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Chapter 8

Today was Ariel's last day in Atlantica for the next month. We all know how the youngest mermaid princess is…

Ariel woke up early, anticipating a great day with her friends. She wanted to make the day really special for everyone. And since she and Urchin had finished going through the sunken ship the day before, the mermaid decided to wake her sisters and have them join her on a new adventure.

"Ariel," Andrina groaned sleepily. "Leave us alone."

"We know it's your last day, but let us sleep," Aquata groaned in agreement.

The other four sisters lazily agreed while Arista sat up, stretching her arms and yawning. "I'm ready for the day." The middle princess smiled and looked at her youngest sister.

Ariel beamed at Arista. "Let's go!"

The red-head swam out of the room and out of the palace until she realized that Arista wasn't with her.

"Ariel!"

The princess looked toward the palace gate, spotting a small crab at the entrance. "Hi Sebastian!" she greeted with a wave.

The crab smiled as the mermaid approached him. "And where are you headed today?" he asked thoughtfully.

"On another adventure!" Ariel exclaimed. "With Urchin, Arista and Flounder."

The crab hummed in thought. "I see." Ariel nervously bit her lip while the crab rubbed his chin with his claw. Sebastian smiled at the princess. "I will speak with your father while you play with your friends."

The young mermaid beamed and hugged the crab close to her neck, kissing his small head. She placed him back on the rock just as Arista had caught up. The sisters swam off to the grotto with Sebastian smiling contently at them both.

"They've have grown so close over the last year," the old crab mused to himself.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I know it's only been a day, but I finished this chapter early. Ariel may seem a bit ignorant in one part, but she doesn't know what's plan for her later on. Also, enjoy the negotiative talking of Triton and Thor!**

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Chapter 9

Ariel and Arista were well on their way to the grotto to meet Urchin and Flounder and gather all of their friends when the sisters ran into Evil Manta. Arista gasped at the sight of the evil being while Ariel scowled. Or at least until she saw a smile on his face and Little Evil swim out from behind the giant creature with a smile. Ariel smiled at the sight of her friend while Arista looked on in confusion.

The younger sister laughed, making things more confusing for the older mermaid. "Arista, this is Little Evil. He's the son of Evil Manta. Little Evil this is one of my sisters, Arista."

Little Evil waved. "Hi Arista."

Evil Manta raised a brow at the two mermaids. "Hello princesses," he greeted in his usual deep voice. "I hope it's no trouble to leave Little Evil with you for the day."

Ariel smiled even more. "Of course he can. I was going to get all of my friends anyway. We're going to have the best day!"

Evil Manta smiled gratefully, scaring Arista, and swam off. Ariel quickly turned to her sister and grabbed her hand, pulling her as they swam in the opposite direction. Little Evil followed close behind.

"Thor is supposed to meet with Daddy when I get back home," the red-head explained as the three continued on. "We have to do as much as possible before I need to be back."

Arista had finally caught up with the last few events. "Why did he smile when he left his son with us?" she asked frantically, stopping her sister and the young manta ray.

The younger sister and small manta looked at each other then at the blond princess. "Because we're best friends," both answered in unison.

"Oh," Arista replied, only less confused than before.

"I also saved Evil Manta from a brain sponge a while back," Ariel explained.

"That clears things up at least," Arista commented unenthusiastically.

The three continued on to the grotto, finding Flounder outside the rock entrance waiting. He waved upon seeing the others.

"Where have you guys been?" Flounder asked. "Hi Little Evil!"

The red-head giggled. "We got a little distracted," she answered, and started looking around before she went into the grotto. "Where's Urchin?"

"He's on his way," Flounder replied. "He said he wanted to stop somewhere before meeting with us."

The young mermaid became confused. "But we're all meeting here and going to find everyone. He should be here by now." Ariel grabbed her treasure bag and swam back out with her guppy friend. "Where did he go?"

The yellow and blue tang shrugged. "He never said."

Ariel was a bit discouraged that her friend wasn't going to meet with them right away. She took a deep breath. "Well, I think we should go find everyone. Gabriella and Ollie are supposed to meet us at the coral forest. The others will be outside the marketplace. We'll all leave together from there."

"Maybe we should find Urchin first," Arista suggested with a shrug. "It wouldn't hurt."

Ariel just stared ahead as she swam with her friends and sister, acting like she never heard the older princess.

Arista huffed out a breath. "Then what about our sisters?"

The younger princess kept swimming toward the coral forest, but looked at her sibling. "I'm sure they'll know and show up before I see Daddy," the red-head answered. "For now, we find friends and have an adventure that we'll never forget!" She grinned brightly at the small group with her. They all agreed.

Within minutes, the group had grown in size from four to nearly twenty, and still grew as more came to spend their last day with the most popular, loved and energetic, fun-loving mermaid. True, she would be gone for a month, but they all still wanted to spend the day with her. Even the little Crab Scouts appeared with Sebastian!

"Let the fun begin!" Ariel shouted as she led the large group to one of her favorite places in the entire sea.

Once they all arrived, the group was in awe of the place before them. Ariel grinned at the sight, a tear escaping her eye as Attina laid a hand on her shoulder.

"This is the perfect place Ariel," her oldest sister said with a bright smile.

Ariel smiled back. "If only she could be here too."

"She is. And you know it," Attina responded. "She's also proud of you just as Father and the rest of us are."

The youngest sister gave a sly grin and held her sister's shoulder as Attina gave her sister a worried glance. Ariel, what are you—"

"You're it!" Ariel screamed gleefully and swam off.

Attina laughed as everyone swam around, laughing to each other. "You're going to get it for that Ariel!" the oldest princess yelled with a hearty laugh.

The twenty-plus friends all laughed and played in the old hidden cove that was so special to Ariel and her family.

King Triton didn't know that they were all there together, but he did know they were all having fun until Ariel had to come back home to meet with Thor and discuss the plans for the next month. In fact, the King was in the throne room at the moment, making sure the peace treaty was ready for the next day. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to find it.

"Where is it?" Triton asked aloud to no one in particular in frustration. "I told Sebastian to keep it in a safe place and now I can't find the paper."

The king was visibly frustrated with the situation and didn't hear a certain young merman swim in. He cleared his throat, the sea king not hearing him. The merman tried again, a little louder this time. Triton heard and turned around.

"Thor!" he said in surprise.

Thor bowed slightly in respect. "I know I'm early sire, but I wished to get a head start on the plans with Ariel."

Triton tried desperately to regain his composure while still searching for the document that would be part of the discussion. "Yes, um, well Ariel is currently out with her friends and will be back in a while."

"I suppose it is appropriate for a final good-bye with her friends," Thor mused. "But as you and I both know, this is of the utmost importance."

Triton straightened and moved to another place in the throne room. "I understand, but I will allow my youngest daughter to still be with them for a while before she leaves." The ruler of Atlantica was once again digging for the lost treaty.

Thor happened to spot a rolled up paper near him and picked it up to read it while he waited. His eyes widened a bit as he noticed the words across the top. "Your highness?"

Triton faced the young prince. "Yes?"

"Is this what you're searching for?" Thor held the paper out to the older merman.

Triton unrolled the paper and sighed with relief. "Yes, thank you Thor."

Since the disaster was now averted, both mermen decided to plan how Thor would escort Ariel to Lerdois. The route would be long and possibly dangerous, even if both knew how strong the princess can be in any situation. Thor still needed to be by her side to protect the young mermaid.

"Going through the seaweed canyon would be much worse than going along the squid current," Thor explained as he gestured to the map in front of the two. "I have been through both with Prince Tsunami to test routes for his father. Neither were easy, but squid current was still safer nonetheless."

Triton rubbed his chin in thought. "True, squid current is more convenient, but I suggest using Moray Eel's delivery route. His route is only bothered by robbers and Ariel knows how to handle them quite well. She did protect the palace from quite a few."

Thor considered the suggestion. "If she chooses another, I will still protect her. But, for her safety, I will make sure we take Moray's route."

"Thank you very much Thor for volunteering to escort my daughter," the king said happily. "You are the only one who has been to Lerdois on royal business and has the experience. Ariel will be just as grateful as I am."

Thor smiled. "Thank you sire. I'm sure she will."

Both mermen shook hands and went back to work, organizing how Ariel would approach the king and deliver the treaty.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So just finished Ch 10. Wow, 2 chapters in one day! I'm on a roll! Working on 11 as we speak! Hopefully I'll have more detail on Lerdois and Tsunami in the next couple chapters.**

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Chapter 10

Ariel and her friends were all having the greatest fun when Urchin had finally arrived. He knew very well what this place meant to the royal family and also knew that his friend would choose this place to say good-bye. He caught a glimpse of red hair flowing in the wind as the youngest princess jumped out of the water and back in with a cheer. The merboy smiled as he watched his closest friend and crush have fun.

When he finally splashed into the cove, drenching Adella and Alana in the process and apologizing quickly, Urchin swam up to Flounder.

"Hey Urchin!" the guppy greeted. "Ariel's been wondering where you were."

The merboy chuckled. "I took a little longer than expected," he replied as he held up a small wrapped gift. "I found this and wanted to give it to Ariel before she left."

Flounder stared at the gift in confusion. "What is it?"

Urchin smirked. "Not telling. Ariel will open it and everyone will see then."

The guppy gave a shrug, saying, "Okay then. Ariel's with Arista. They're about to race around the cove."

"Thanks Flounder," the merboy said and ruffled the guppy's flimsy dorsal fin. He swam quickly to find Ariel before her race, but was unfortunately too late as Sebastian whistled for the start. Ariel and Arista were nearly equal in speed as they shot off like torpedoes. Urchin huffed in dismay, floating off to the side as the two zipped past him and out of the cove. He managed to catch Spot dive after them.

_Probably to watch the whole race._ Urchin thought to himself.

Ariel and Arista were already deep in the ocean as they approached the coral forest. The younger looked over her shoulder to see her sister not far behind. She corkscrewed into the turn at the edge of the coral forest, catching sight of a red tail not far behind. Spot was swimming right alongside them as they swam the last stretch.

Spot swam ahead to the surface to watch the jump over the rocks. He made it just in time to see both sisters break the surface and splash into the cove. Ariel popped up first, just seconds before Arista's blond head appeared. Urchin smirked in amusement as Sebastian proclaimed Ariel the winner.

"Good job Ariel," Arista commented over the cheers. "You were right about being the fastest in the sea."

Ariel laughed. "I swim with Spot and escape sharks a lot. I wouldn't doubt my speed."

"Neither would I," Urchin agreed as he swam up.

The red-head beamed and embraced Urchin in an octopus hug, nearly squeezing him in half. The merboy still returned the hug before she broke it. "What took you so long?" she asked.

Urchin rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I had to take care of something and I brought it with me." The held out the small present, Ariel graciously taking it and opening the gift.

Ariel's blue eyes widened upon seeing the gorgeous violet pearl necklace inside. She just floated where she was in the water, staring at her friend's gift to her. "It's beautiful. How did you get this? I've never seen a pearl like this." Arista stared at the pearl as well.

The merboy shrugged with a smile. "I found a few oysters and started looking for the perfect pearl for your birthday. But I decided to give it to you early."

"Thank you Urchin," the mermaid said with a bright smile. "I love it." She had already begun to slip the small chain around her neck.

Urchin was watching her with a proud grin that suddenly turned goofy. He was actually admiring her in the necklace. _She's even more beautiful in it than I imagined._ He sighed internally as he noticed she was admiring her reflection in the clear blue water.

"I'll wear during my stay in Lerdois," Ariel exclaimed happily.

Arista giggled. "I bet you'll catch Prince Tsunami's eye with it," the sister teased.

"Oh please Arista!" Ariel joked. "I'm sure the prince wouldn't notice me even if I lived there." The young princess laughed.

Urchin loved that laugh. "Ariel, come on! You're the most amazing, fun-loving, friendliest, caring, energetic, beautiful mermaid under the sea." The merboy immediately blushed an covered his mouth at the last thing he said. _Did I really call her beautiful?_

Arista gawked at the merboy while Ariel blinked in surprise. A light blush crossed her cheeks when she finally spoke. "Thanks Urchin," she commented as she tucked some loose hair behind her ear. "You're really amazing and fun too. As well as a really great friend."

Urchin had finally recomposed himself while Arista shook her head in confusion. "What just happened?" the middle princess asked.

Ariel and Urchin were still blushing about what the merboy had said. "I have no idea," both muttered in unison.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry it took so long! This chapter was difficult to put together. I couldn't think of any conversation to put together between Ariel, Triton and Thor, so I kinda left it with Urchin and Flounder. Ideas for future chapters are appreciated!**

**And thank you so much for all the views. This is my most viewed story. You guys are amazing!  
**

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Chapter 11

When everyone had reached the palace in the early afternoon, Ariel, Urchin, Flounder and Arista said good-bye to everyone and swam to the throne room with the rest of the princesses. Ariel was swimming at a casual pace with her sisters and friends, chatting and laughing about the day's events.

"And when Flounder nearly swam up Simon's nose," Urchin said through fits of laughter. "Oh fish was that good!"

"Hey!" the guppy protested. "I wasn't paying attention alright!" The small tang placed his fins on his sides.

Ariel was giggling uncontrollably as she swam alongside Arista. She didn't realize that Urchin was watching her with a faint twinkle in his eyes. The youngest princess waved good-bye to her six sisters as they swam to their room for some rest while Urchin and Flounder stayed with their friend. The red-head sighed, shaking her head, and continued to the throne room.

"So," Urchin started. His friends looked at him. "Will we still be able to say good-bye tomorrow?"

Ariel gave a small grin. "Of course you will Urchin. But I still have to meet with Thor and Daddy today. I can see you both in the mo—"

The mermaid had bumped into some unknown force while talking. Urchin and flounder went right to her side.

"I'm sorry princess," a masculine voice said. "I didn't hear you come in."

The trio looked up to find Thor looking very apologetic. Ariel smiled warmly at the prince as she got up and floated next to him.

"Hi Thor," the princess greeted warmly. "We just got back. How about we get started on those plans for the journey to Lerdois?" The small group of four continued on the route to the throne room.

Thor grinned. "Your father and I have been sorting things out all morning. We have a few suggestions. Especially about the route to take."

Ariel giggled. "Well, I know Daddy won't let me take anything like Squid Current. So I have to settle with what he wishes." Her friends each gave her a strange look. "What? It's not like I have a choice either way. You know Daddy will send me on a 'safe' route."

"Right!" Urchin agreed quickly. "Triton is all about safety with Ariel."

"I am very well aware of that," Thor responded coolly. "Your father suggested Moray's delivery route."

Ariel froze in the middle of the grand hallway. "Moray's delivery route?" she asked nervously. Thor nodded in confirmation. "Great, now I'm going to run into him and have to buy something just to keep going. He never listens to anyone unless for his own benefits."

The princess kept swimming, frustration evident on her features as she entered the throne room of the grand Atlantican palace. Urchin, Flounder and Thor followed close behind, Thor explaining Triton's decision. Ariel was barely listening as she swam to her father. Triton saw his youngest daughter and quickly noted the frustrated expression on her face.

"I take it Thor told you what route you'll be taking," the sea king guessed.

"Only the tip of the iceberg Daddy," Ariel answered irritably, arms crossed over her chest. "How could you send me down Moray's route? He's nothing but a no-good, sleazy, little con-artist. And the most annoying in the seven seas!" The princess pouted. "You know how often he has tricked me into doing something that embarrassed you more than anything."

Triton sighed in defeat. His daughter was right. Ursula had been less of a threat on certain occasions compared to the tricky moray eel. The other three in the room remained quiet as Triton glanced their way. Thor had a placid expression. Urchin held his elbow nervously. Flounder looked everywhere but at the king himself. The king placed his mighty trident in its stand and swam up to his daughter.

"Ariel," he said, catching not only his youngest daughter's attention, but also the other three. "I need you to understand that you are my most precious daughter. Yes, you are always looking for a new adventure, but I need you know that I love you more than anything in the world. You are the most like your mother and that is why I never want to lose you." Ariel looked curiously and sympathetically at her father. "You are her memory more than anything. She would be proud to see what you do." Triton gave a whole-hearted smile.

Ariel smiled broadly and hugged her father tightly. "I already know she is."

Triton returned the hug and then the father and daughter parted, turning to the merteens and guppy. Ariel swam up to Thor.

"I believe we can discuss the plans for our journey now," the red-head announced.

Thor grinned. "So we shall princess," Thor replied.

Ariel worked with Thor and Triton for nearly the rest of that day while Urchin and Flounder waited, boredom taking over both of them.

"UGH!" the merboy groaned loudly. "When are they going to be done?"

Flounder shrugged in response as Urchin flopped into the sea king's throne. Considering he was accepted like a brother to the sisters and as a son to the king, he was allowed to sit in the important seat, especially if the king was busy with a meeting.

"Maybe they'll be finished in a few minutes," Flounder said in a hopeful tone, but only earned a glare from Urchin. "Or not." The guppy began to shake in fear from the glare.

He stopped shaking when Sebastian waltzed in. "Ah! Urchin, Flounder. I was hoping to speak wit the king. Have you seen him?"

Urchin grudgingly pointed his thumb toward a hallway while saying, "Meeting with Ariel Thor about Lerdois. It's been hours."

The crab could hear the clear annoyance in the merboy's voice. "I see. Well, when he is finished, tell him I will be in the—" Sebastian stopped as he saw Thor and Ariel swim out of the room, Triton following right behind them. Urchin and Flounder even looked up.

"So we are all agreed, then?" Thor asked.

Ariel grinned. "Yes we are Thor. I will see you in the morning."

The prince held out his hand, but Ariel decided to give her friend a hug instead. Thor happily returned the hug, earning an intense glare from Urchin but not noticing it. Sebastian gave a mischievous grin and nodded curtly at the sea king.

"Tomorrow we can be formal," Ariel said as they parted. "Today, we're friends."

Thor nodded in agreement. "Of course princess. I will see you both in the morning." The merteen swam home for a good night's rest while Urchin slumped back into the throne, earning a chuckle from his closest friend.

"Urchin, you know I can't stay." The merboy gave a sound of disappointment, not even glancing at his friend. "You know I have to do this job. It's important to the kingdom. With an ally like Lerdois, we can prevent another serious attack from Ursula or anyone else."

Triton grinned proudly at his daughter while Urchin sighed in defeat. The merboy sat up and looked at Ariel, sadness in his eyes. He was also hiding something, Ariel could see it. She tried to place it, but sadly couldn't.

"What's really wrong Urchin?"

Triton noticed the pain behind the merboy's gaze. It was the same gaze he had when he held Athena's lifeless body over a decade ago. He motioned to Flounder to leave the room. "Well, I guess I shall leave you two to say your good-byes," the king said, emphasizing toward Flounder.

"Yeah, I think I will too." The guppy nodded at Ariel. "I'll see ya tomorrow Ariel."

Sebastian caught on quickly and followed the two out of the spacious throne room, leaving Ariel and Urchin to talk. The only problem was for Urchin to get the words out. He had played them over and over and over again in his head, but was not able to just say them to his closest friend. Ariel was just as grief-stricken over the sad departure she would have the next day, wondering why she would miss Urchin the most. They had known each other for the better part of three years and had gone on hundreds of adventures together. Yet, the princess didn't understand why parting with him made her heart ache the most. She just didn't know that Urchin was facing the same dilemma.

The princess cleared her throat at the more than awkward silence that had befallen the two. "Can you tell me what's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of concern. "Please Urchin?"

The merboy looked painfully at Ariel. When he finally gathered the courage to speak, his voice was shaky to say the least. "A-Ariel, you are my closest friend, and I always believed you'd be there for me, no matter what happened. But you're going to be gone for a month now, and I don't know why I, feel like I'll never see you again."

Ariel was surprised at the merboy's words. Urchin didn't know how he said it so carefully when he thought he'd mess up. His friend, however, had tears brimming her eyes. She was trying her hardest not cry.

"Urchin," she started, her voicing nearly cracking as she placed a hand on his cheek. "You know I would never leave my best friend. You and Flounder mean everything to me, just as my family does. But you matter just a bit more because it's you who always saves me when I'm in trouble. No one I know is braver than you are. You are the bravest and most amazing merman in the sea."

Urchin looked her in the eye. "Really?"

Ariel nodded. "Really. And I wish you could come with me to Lerdois. You could probably protect Thor if he was in trouble."

The merboy smiled a bit at her comment. "Thanks Ariel. But I think you should get some rest for tomorrow now."

Ariel grinned. "I think you're right. I'll see you in the morning Urchin." Her hand fell from his face and she began to swim off when Urchin suddenly reached out and gently grabbed her wrist, effectively stopping the mermaid. She turned to face him, seeing something new in his features. "Is everything alright Urchin?"

Urchin just held her there, his expression continuously shifting from sadness to calm to care to another emotion Ariel didn't have time to name as Urchin pulled her into a tight embrace. The young princess was surprised but still returned the hug. She could feel all of his mixed emotions in that one embrace. She almost thought she could red his mind as he held her tighter, his arms holding her tight. When they finally parted, Urchin was hesitant with his next action, but moved in anyway. He thought he would never have another chance before the next morning came and she had to leave.

Ariel was wide-eyes with shock when Urchin had closed a small gap between them. She didn't know how to react, except to just float there. Her eyes slowly fluttered closed before Urchin backed away. The merboy looked expectantly at the princess, wondering what she was going to do. Ariel opened her eyes immediately at the same moment Urchin ended the unusual moment between them.

"Uh, um," was all Ariel could utter before Urchin began to speak.

"I don't care what anyone says. I've wanted to tell you that since last year when I thought Thor was going to take you away from us. Please just tell me something so I could know what you're thinking." The merboy was breathing heavily now when he finished as he had said all of that in one breath.

Ariel was still stunned. "Well," she said cautiously. "It was unexpected. And I think I kinda understand why you've been acting so strange all week. Is this why?"

Urchin took a deep breath and nodded. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't understand how I felt when I was around you."

* * *

"Urchin?"

The merboy snapped back to reality. "What?"

"I have to go rest for tomorrow. Are you sure you'll be okay until morning?" Ariel gave him a concerned look.

Urchin blinked his eyes in confusion but nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow before you leave. Good-night Ariel."

The princess smiled. "Good-night Urchin."

She swam out of the throne room and to her room. Meanwhile, Urchin was floating in the throne, a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Was that all in my head?" he asked aloud to no one in particular. "I almost thought it was real."

He swam home to get some rest, trying to forget what had just happened. No one could even imagine what would happen the next day.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here it is! Yes, I am sorry it took so long. I have been ubber busy with school. But now I have started my Winter Break and have 2 whole weeks to write!**

**Enjoy Chapter 12 as I begin 13!  
**

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Chapter 12

Urchin woke up early so he could speak to Ariel before she left. The only problem was that he didn't know what to say to her! He had hardly been able to sleep just thinking about it. The merboy was probably thinking he was going crazy over the whole thing. The princess would be gone for a month starting today. He didn't want her to debate anything over her friends while she was gone. Besides, he had a month to figure out how to reveal his real feelings for her.

The young merman hurried to get ready for the day's events. The week was as adventurous as it had ever been, probably enough for Ariel to tell the other kingdom about. Urchin was nearly ready when he heard Flounder at the mouth of his sea cave home.

"Come on Urchin!" the guppy called. "We're going to be late!"

"Coming Flounder!" the merboy called back. He looked at his reflection once more. "That should do it." Then he swam out of his home and toward the palace with Flounder.

* * *

Ariel and her sisters were just waking when Sebastian swam into their room.

"Rise and shine merladies!" he greeted cheerfully and glanced at the furthest shell-bed from the entrance. "No sleeping in today Ariel. You know dat."

The youngest princess groaned. "I know Sebastian. Don't rush me." Ariel finally sat up, finding everyone in the room staring at her. "You all know I have to leave Atlantica for the next month. That means I can't be with any of my friends or go on any adventures with them."

Arista looked sympathetically at her youngest sister. "You were excited about this all week, saying it was going to be an entirely whole new adventure."

Ariel sighed heavily, hanging her head. "Just without you or any of my friends."

The blond, red-tailed princess swam to her sister's side. "Look at it this way: everyone will be waiting to hear what you did when you get back. Thor will even be excited to see their faces when you tell them about Lerdois."

Ariel looked up to see Arista smiling reassuringly, but wasn't smiling herself. "Thor is still new to all of my amazing adventures."

Arista's eyes lit up and she leaned closer to Ariel, whispering, "I promise to watch over your treasures and you can tell me if you find any. That way, I can make room for them when you bring them back."

Ariel looked at her sister. "Really?" she asked hopefully.

Arista nodded solemnly. "Really."

The red-head gave a broad grin, hugging her sister. "Thank you Arista!"

The elder sister smiled, laughing. "You're welcome Ariel." She gently pushed her sister back, holding her shoulders. "Now you have to get ready to leave. Thor and father will be waiting for you."

The mermaid was barely listening as she quickly swam to the vanity mirrors and brushed out her hair. Then she hurriedly packed her treasure bag with essential items. Her sisters watched in amazement as their youngest sister swam quickly out of the room. Sebastian's jaw had dropped while watching her.

Arista was the first to speak in the awkward silence. "Well, I guess we should hurry before she convinces Father to leave early."

The sisters agreed as Sebastian swam the fastest he could to the throne room.

Ariel was smiling with glee over what Arista had said. She was now more than excited to see what she could find in Lerdois. The princess wondered about the treasures she would likely find when she bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she muttered quickly. "I wasn't paying attention to, where, I." The young mermaid looked at the broad-shouldered merman in front of her. "Sorry," she barely squeaked.

Thor popped out from behind the merman. "Hi Ariel. Sorry about Ton here. He'll be escorting us to Lerdois. I hope it's alright."

Ariel barely nodded as she looked at the enormous merman in front of her. "If it was Daddy's idea, okay."

Thor smiled. "Alright then. We'll meet with your father and discuss just a few more things. Then we can go."

The prince grabbed the princess's hand and led her to the throne room. Triton was already there, floating back and forth in both anticipation and worry. He anticipated the new peace treaty between Atlantica and Lerdois. But he also worried for his youngest for who he was sending to make the peace.

"Maybe I should have chosen Attina," Triton argued with himself. "She has had more practice. But Ariel has been to many different kingdoms. She even rescued Spot and his friends from the humans. She has more experience going out there. But I still doubt it will go smoothly. Knowing Ariel, there will probably be some sort of catastrophe that follows her around."

"Dat's…not why…you chose her…Your…Majesty," Sebastian breathed heavily from his quickened swim from the girls' room. Then he looked around, finding something missing.

"Good to see you Sebastian," the king greeted. "Is Ariel already up and moving?"

Sebastian replied with a faint "Yes" and continued to search around the throne room. The small crustacean was searching for the red-headed princess who had left nearly five minutes ahead of himself, not finding any trace of her. "I tought she would be here already," he mused aloud.

Triton raised a brow confusedly at the crab. "Ariel took off?"

Sebastian looked fearfully at the king, gulping in fear. "Yes," came the small response.

Triton began to glare at his most trusted advisor. "Where did she go?"

The red crab gulped audibly as he shrank into his shell. "I don't know."

The sea king was none too happy about hearing this as his trident began to glow while his hands were now white-knuckled at clutching the royal symbol of the seas so tightly. He rose from the throne, ready to blow his top, when Thor and Ariel swam in. Triton froze on the spot when seeing them, his trident dimming as the power depleted. Sebastian slowly peeked his head out when he heard Thor greet the king.

"Good morning Your Majesty!" he exclaimed with a bow. "I believe we are ready to go."

Triton had regained his composure, watching his daughter closely. "I believe so."

Ariel smiled sweetly at her father. "Morning Daddy! It's still early and I wish to see a few friends before I leave."

Triton grinned broadly, noting that Thor was holding his daughter's hand. His brow up in curiosity, he asked, "Who exactly? I know of a few who will be there."

The princess didn't need even a moment to think about it as she flew out of the palace at the fastest speed she had possibly ever gone to find her two closest friends: Flounder and Urchin.

_Urchin._ Her mind wandered as she hurried toward his small home.

She was barely past the gates when she had literally crashed into the two she wanted to see. But she had hit them so hard that she ended up lading tail first in the sandy bottom. Looking up, Urchin was already by her side to help her up. A smile spread across her lips.

"Morning Ariel," the merboy greeted. "I'm guessing you don't wanna leave yet?"

Ariel laughed, hiding the faint blush on her cheeks. "More than anything, I'd love to stay and have more adventures with you guys." Flounder rushed up and hugged her.

"I'm gonna miss you Ariel," the small guppy said.

"I'm going to miss you both more than anyone else," Ariel said sadly. "But I have to go to Lerdois. Daddy said it will benefit us. I just wish I could have this adventure with you guys."

Urchin listened to her, the saddest expression in history on his normally bright features. "I wish we could all go with you," he agreed, sighing heavily as he reached for her hand and squeezed gently. "But you need to do this. Your father is already proud that you are going. It's not just for the kingdom, but for the seven seas." A mischievous grin appeared. "Now, Ursula is going to think twice before trying to attack us after this."

Ariel grinned lightly. "I'm sure about that."

Then she pulled Flounder in for a hug, nearly squeezing him in half. Within minutes, Ariel was about to hug Urchin, but Thor came out.

"Time to go," he stated casually and headed back to the king, Flounder in tow.

Ariel looked back at Urchin. The merboy had his hand out in front of him. The princess took it firmly and shook until Urchin engulfed her into a great embrace that she didn't want to leave. Both merteens believed the world around them had stopped as they savored the hug, sub-consciously not wanting to leave the other. Urchin had his eyes closed tight while Ariel was steadily trying to calm her wildly beating heart from bursting at what she felt around her dear friend. The hug ended slowly with the two gazing deeply into each other's eyes.

"I have to go," Ariel said quietly, slowly turning to leave.

"Wait," Urchin stated, stopping her. "Ariel, I've been keeping this back for too long. If I don't say it now, I'll never forgive myself."

Ariel listened closely to her friend, waiting patiently to hear him.

"You are the most amazing friend I have ever had in my life," Urchin said. "You were there for me through so much, even stopping me from joining the Lobster Mobster almost three years ago. We've saved each other so many times I've lost count. Until last year, I felt like you were a real sister to me. When I thought Thor and you were going to marry last year, I realized that I maybe loved you. More than anything, I was falling in love with my first real friend. Sebastian noticed earlier in the week and I wish I could have told you then. But I was too scared to try. When you said you had to leave for Lerdois, I wished it wasn't true. I never felt more wrong in the world for selfishly thinking I should tell you to turn down your father's proclamation of joining the kingdoms. I'm sorry about that. Then I heard you in the grotto a week ago that you were in love. I know I shouldn't have listened to your private conversation, but I was glad it wasn't Thor. All I'm trying to say is that…I love you."

Ariel stared in bewilderment, shock, happiness, and another feeling she couldn't find the name for until he finished.

"Urchin," she started, but couldn't find the words as her father called her to hurry.

Urchin just floated there, holding her hands and patiently awaiting her response.

* * *

**Haha!** **Cliff hangar! I couldn't think of a response from Ariel. Please give me ideas!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Urchin waited patiently for Ariel's response, hearing Triton and Thor calling for the young princess to hurry. He knew she had to leave, but he didn't want to wait. The young merboy wanted an answer before she left, whether or not it was good. But he just didn't want to show it.

"Urchin," Ariel finally managed. "I—"

"ARIEL!"

The two merteens spun around to find King Triton floating nearby, arms crossed over his chest. The king quickly noted the fact that the two were holding hands and he raised his brow curiously. Sebastian stood on his shoulder, cautiously motioning to the two. Ariel caught the message quickly and quickly faced her father.

"Sorry Daddy," she said innocently with a smile. "Good-byes can be a little long. Especially if you'll be gone for a month."

Triton sighed. "I'm sorry to cut it short, but you and Thor have to leave. Lerdois is waiting and the journey is at least a few days."

Thor appeared beside the sea king. "Your father's right Ariel," the Olympian prince agreed. "It's time to go."

The two mermen turned and moved back to the royal chariot while Ariel turned back to Urchin. The merboy barely had a moment to say anything before Ariel quickly hugged him, her arms wrapped tightly around his torso. Urchin returned the hug before she could move. Just as Ariel released him, she held her head an inch from his, gazing into the young merman's deep green eyes.

With a smile, she finally replied. "I love you too Urchin."

She gave him a passionate kiss on the lips, ending it quickly, and then swam to the chariot as fast as she could. Urchin, however, floated where he was for another moment before he realized he would her departure. When he arrived, Ariel had just gotten situated next to Thor and her friend called her name.

"Ariel!"

The princess looked in his direction and smiled. "I promise to write soon!" she called back as the chariot launched, the six dolphins moving too fast to keep up with.

The chariot was nearly out of sight when Flounder floated next to Urchin. "What happened?" the guppy asked.

Urchin had a goofy, but confident, grin on his features now. "Just a very heartfelt good-bye," he replied, suppressing his sigh to an internal one as he watched the chariot disappear through the murky blue of the ocean.

"It should only take a few days," Thor explained.

Ariel was too busy watching her palace home fade away behind them. Her mind was only drifting to Urchin and how she had kissed him then and there. He had a shocked expression on his face, but was still happy from what she could see.

"Ariel?"

She snapped out of her trance and looked at her friend and escort. "Yes?"

Thor gave her a strange look. "Are you okay?"

The princess sighed. "Just a little sad about being gone for long. I wish they could come with me. But this is for the kingdom. I still have responsibilities."

Thor grinned at her. "I'm glad you see it that way. Now, we have to be ready when we arrive. Prince Tsunami is sure to be at the palace, ready to see us. As we enter the gate, stay close. Some of the guards are really uptight around new visitors. As soon as Tsunami allows you as a visitor, you won't be hunted and watched during our stay."

Ariel gulped loudly. "Hunted?"

"It's just a little issue with the Sharkanians as of lately," the prince explained. "Emperor Sharga had attempted to overthrow, or otherwise kill, Prince Tsunami recently."

The princess was now visibly worried for her own safety, as well as Atlantica's. What if she did something wrong? What if she couldn't speak? What if this goes horribly and Lerdois rages war on Atlantica?

"I'm sure everything will be fine though," Thor commented, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You've been to other kingdoms before and have faced pirates and humans. This should be simple."

There was too much modesty in his voice. Ariel knew of it.

They continued on to Moray's route, following it to Lerdois. Everyone in the chariot – Ariel, Thor and Ton – knew of the mild dangers it held. But no one knew who was using that route today. No, it's not Moray Eel either. It's much worse…


	14. Chapter 14

**Just a head's up as this chapter centers around Urchin as we go just a tiny bit deeper into how he discovered his feelings for the infamous princess. We also get to say hi to an old friend in this chapter and another in the next.**

**Chapter 15 is on the way! And hope Christmas was great for you guys!  
**

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Chapter 14

Even though Ariel had left only a few hours earlier, Urchin was still sitting at the palace gates. Flounder was floating near him, wondering why the merboy was so quiet. Urchin himself wasn't sad or disappointed that his closest friend was now gone and on her way to another kingdom, but was glad and internally trying to hide the fact that he felt like he was jumping over the surface waves in joy. Ariel had told him she felt the same way he felt about her. He wasn't going to let anything ruin the fact that they would most likely be a couple when she returned in one month.

The merboy's head perked up when his name was called. Flounder turned in the same direction to find Apollo riding his dragon toward them.

"Flounder! Urchin!" the Atlantican hero greeted. "It's good to see you both."

Flounder smiled. "Hi Apollo! Ariel already left for Lerdois. She'll be back in a month."

Apollo froze when he heard this. "Lerdois?" he repeated to make sure he heard it right.

Urchin nodded. "For a peace treaty with the prince," the merteen answered.

The adventurous merman looked at the two in front of him, eyeing their features. "I just came from Lerdois, Prince Tsunami did say he was expecting a specific young merlady to see him about a very important matter. But he did not mention a peace treaty in any way."

Urchin and Flounder exchanged confused glances. Apollo was rubbing his chin in thought, wondering why the sea king would send his youngest daughter on a diplomatic mission such as this instead of going himself.

"He did say he wanted Ariel to go because she had more experience with other kingdoms and, um, creatures. I think," the guppy said, trying to remember what Triton had said.

Urchin saw his friend struggling. "In other kingdoms and foiling evil plans," the merboy said with a lopsided grin as he thought about when he aided her in saving Flounder when he became the Howling Hairfish and when they stopped Evil Manta, for the umpteenth time.

Apollo noticed the goofy grin on Urchin's features, grinning slyly at him. "I believe someone sees her as more than just friend, hm?" he inquired mischievously.

Urchin snapped back to his sense when he heard the middle-aged merman. He rubbed his arm awkwardly, stuttering to speak as Sebastian came swimming out.

"Ah, Apollo. Da king was not expecting you til next week," the crab explained.

"I know," the hero chuckled. "I finished handling the sharks in the Pacific and thought I would visit early. But I heard from a few friends just now that Ariel is in another kingdom for the next month. Was there something I missed this week?"

The crab chuckled. "His Majesty will explain when you see him."

Apollo's dragon growled impatiently.

"Easy Typhoon," the hero said, patting the sea serpent's neck and looking at the crab. "Tell him I will see him in a few moments." Sebastian hurried to relay the message as Apollo turned to Urchin and Flounder. "Can you both watch Typhoon while I speak with the king?"

Urchin's eyes lit up while Flounder hid behind the merboy. "Definitely!"

Apollo smiled. "Thank you. He shouldn't be much trouble," the merman stated as he passed the reigns to Urchin's awaiting hands. "It shouldn't take long." With that, Apollo swam to the throne room to speak with the king.

Flounder cautiously swam out from behind Urchin, staring up at the great, and formerly feared, serpent. "Great. We're taking care of a creature that still strikes fear into the little guy," the guppy commented shakily.

His merboy friend laughed, rubbing the dragon's neck affectionately. "It's only for a little while. Besides, I think it's cool that he's letting us watch him."

"How is it cool?" Flounder asked accusingly, glaring at the merboy floating next to him.

"Because Typhoon is the creature that gets to fight by Apollo's side every day! It's really awesome that he's letting us watch him while he's with the king."

The guppy stared quizzically at his friend, seeing him slightly distracted. "You don't seem to be thinking about Typhoon right now."

Urchin became confused. "How do you mean?"

Flounder shrugged. "Ariel was more than happy when she saw you this morning. But she was more depressed when you hugged her than when I did."

The merboy shifted uncomfortably as he continued to pet the serpent. "That doesn't mean anything."

"I think you feel different about her now," the guppy implied. "The way you always talk about her and her adventures, when you exaggerate saving us from danger, how you always light up when you hear her name."

Urchin tried to ignore the fish as much as he could, failing miserably. Flounder had hit the tip of the iceberg of his feelings for the young princess. His heart had been aching since she had departed on that chariot only hours earlier. Despite his glad expression, Urchin knew that even that one kiss she gave him could decide their future when she returned. Flounder waited silently for the merboy to speak, not knowing about the churning feelings inside his friend's heart.

"You don't know what's like to feel like this Flounder," the merteen finally said. "Being in love is the most amazing feeling in your life. When I first saw Ariel those three years ago, I thought she was the most beautiful creature under the sea. Nothing compared to her beauty, not even the brightest glow shell in Shark Canyon could outshine her." A loving smile crawled onto his lips. "She was the toughest mermaid I had ever met." He suddenly frowned a bit. "Until last year, my feelings were, well, confusing. When Thor was mentioned the first time, I thought there was an arranged marriage from what Sebastian said. Then the misunderstanding started the war as the Sharkanians attacked. Thor and Ariel were in the distance and I thought I would never see her again." Urchin took a shaky breath. "I thought that she would leave forever. When I got hurt, and woke to see her, I was overjoyed to see her. She was staying and I knew my feelings for sure then, whether or not I had the courage to tell her."

"You really do like her?" Flounder asked.

Urchin nodded.

The guppy smiled. "I'd rather see her with you instead of some random prince we've never seen before or barely met."

The merboy grinned as he looked at his friend. "That means a lot Flounder," he said as he ruffled the flimsy blue dorsal fin.

A deep, cautious growl caught their attention. Both looked at the dragon, seeing him with a smile.

Urchin laughed. "Let's hope he can take a secret."


	15. Chapter 15

**Second chapter today! R&R please! Also you learn something _very_ interesting this time . . .**

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Chapter 15

It was only a day into their journey as Ariel slept inside the chariot. Thor was sound asleep on the other end while Ton floated nearby, guarding the two royal merteens. The rather large merman was unusually alert when Thor awoke in the middle of the night. Ton held his sword readily.

Thor nearly jumped out of the sea with surprise. "Easy Ton," he whispered. "It's just me. I couldn't sleep."

Ton lowered the weapon and continued to float guard.

The prince sighed. "Thank you for coming. But I'm sure this wasn't necessary." The merman glared. Thor flinched. "I swore she wouldn't. The princess is kindhearted, not evil. She wouldn't know how to hurt algae."

Ariel stirred slightly in her sleep, a caring smile graced on her lips. Thor guiltily sighed internally when he looked at her sleeping form.

"I'm going back to sleep," the prince announced, swimming back to his corner.

_Why did I have to agree to this again?_ he thought to himself as he laid down. _Oh, right._ He grunted in distaste as he remembered what had happened a few days before he came to Atlantica about the peace treaty for Lerdois. Thor looked up toward the surface waves. _I'm sorry father. I wish there was another way to do this._

No one, not even Triton, knew about what had happened in Olympia only days before Thor arrived. The prince himself hated thinking about it. His kingdom was helpless against the unexpected visitor. Ton was the visitor's top bodyguard as well and was sent to keep an eye on Thor to make sure nothing went wrong. Thor kept telling himself to keep going, but couldn't think of his friend in danger. Triton had barely agreed to let Ariel go instead. **(We're getting ahead of ourselves here. No more about Thor until later.)**

Ariel was sleeping peacefully while Thor tried to go back to sleep after being silently criticized by Ton. Her resting mind was only drifting to one thing, rather a person in particular…

_Ariel an Urchin swam through the coral forest, playing tag and laughing joyfully. Urchin had just grabbed Ariel's tail, gently pulling her toward him as he enjoyed the surprised smirked on the princess's face. He laughed heartily at her._

"_Not fair!" she laughed._

"_You're still smiling," he accused._

_He now held the red-head in his arms, gazing into the gorgeous sapphire orbs he loved so much. "Wanna know something?"_

_She nodded. "Yes."_

"_I sometimes think your eyes are pieces of the sky, taken straight from the bluest part, and carefully crafted in your beautiful face."_

_Ariel blushed a heavy shade of red, almost the same as her hair. "Well, I think your eyes are from the deepest green found from the rarest seaweed under the sea."_

_The merboy smiled as Ariel traced a finger along his toned muscles he had grown into in the past year. She took in every detail as she gazed towards his jaw line, tracing his lush lips and gazing the green eyes she had previously described. He shivered slightly under her touch, savoring the feel of her cool hands along his arm. The mermaid smiled and leaned in close as did the young merman, both kissing sweetly. Ariel smiled as he continued to kiss her, holding her even closer. Neither dared to back away._

Ariel blinked her eyes open as she awoke from her dream, smiling happily and stretching off the sleep. She sat up, seeing Thor awake and Ton watching her. The mermaid became suspicious of the merman as he eyed her.

The prince looked up and smiled at the princess. "You're awake!" he greeted. "I do hope you slept well."

She nodded curtly at her friend as she swam toward him. "Very well actually. Shall we continue to Lerdois or are we going to waste time? I would not like Daddy to be disappointed about this journey."

"Of course Ariel," Thor replied, more than happy to go. "Let us find some food and then we will continue on."

It didn't take long to find food as there were sea berries near the trail and Ariel created a nice meal with what she and Thor had gathered. While they were eating, Thor brought u a surprising subject for the princess.

"So, what's really going on between you and Urchin?"

Ariel nearly choked on her breakfast as she recalled her dream from the previous night and the kiss she had given her friend before leaving. She finally cleared her throat. "I don't know what you're trying to get at Thor, but I detect a hint of jealousy." _Smooth._ She mentally slapped herself for that.

Thor chuckled. "I just might be. But I think there is something more than friendship there. I remember how he risked his life last year during the short war we had."

Ariel grunted. "It always comes back to that day," she said with a sigh.

The prince looked curiously at her. "How so?"

The mermaid gave him a sideways glance. "It doesn't matter now. We have to hurry to Lerdois for this peace negotiation."

Thor eyed her as she hurried back to the chariot. "Of course princess."

With hours passing quickly as Thor explained more about Lerdois, the dolphin-clad chariot arrived in only a day and a half. The trio was at the gates within moments and then stopped by the most suspicious guards the two royal merteens had ever seen. Thor had visited Lerdois before, but had never seen the guards this uptight.

"Surf, Glacier," Thor greeted. **(Stop criticizing my bad ideas!)** "I am here with Princess Ariel of Atlantica to see prince Tsunami."

The guards eyes Ariel like sea police. The princess tensed, but gave a small wave.

"Hi," she finally squeaked out.

As suspicious as they were, the guards let them pass. Thor carefully maneuvered the chariot through the gates to the palace. Ariel was scared stiff for the first time in her life. They would be here for the next month. She herself knew how long even a simple meeting with her father could take and feared this might be longer than even two high tides.

"Don't worry Ariel," Thor reassured her. "I'm sure this will be fast. Then we can both go home. A month will pass before you know it."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Ariel muttered as inaudibly as she could.

Ton was quiet the whole time. Neither merteen even thought about how they got in so easily. They hadn't seen Ton visibly threaten the guards if they didn't let the two in. No one knew Ton's story, not even his own boss. Thor knew why he was there, but that's only half of the story…

* * *

**Not exactly a cliff-hangar, but pretty close. I wonder what's going on with Thor and why he's so worried about Olympia? Well, you'll find out soon! Next chapter might be about Lerdois or Atlantica. Trying to talk about both sides as much as I can.**


	16. Chapter 16

**3rd chapter today! Sweetness.**

**Anywhose! Thanks so much for making this my most viewed story. 500 views, wow! This is for you guys. Chapter 16 is already in the works as I speak-type rather.**

**Triton is a bit off in this for, sentimental reasons...I guess. Enjoy anyway! Please review!  
**

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Chapter 16

"It's been a few days already," the merboy complained to his friends. "I just wish she was here instead."

"Urchin," Ollie said, catching the merteen's attention to see Gabriella signing to him. "We all wish Ariel was here. But she needs to do this for Atlantica."

The merboy sighed in defeat. "I know I'm never going to win this argument. Let's go see if the king is busy. I need something to do before I go crazy from no adventuring!"

The small group of two merteens, a fish and an octopus swam to the palace to find King Triton just as bored as themselves. The four young citizens of Atlantica floated before the king waiting to catch his attention. They hadn't even noticed Sebastian resting on the arm of the throne.

The crab's head popped up. "Your Majesty," he said, tapping the king's arms and pointing at the small group.

Triton now saw them and cleared his throat, straightening himself. "Yes children?"

Urchin hated being called a child, even if by the king. "Sir, we need something to do. With Ariel not here, it's gotten very boring around the palace."

The king seemed sympathetic at the merboy's words. "I understand Urchin. Ariel has always kept me alert while on her adventures. Without her causing even the tiniest bit of trouble, nothing is really exciting anymore."

Arista swam in as her father was speaking. "I think you should probably go on an adventure with everyone like Ariel does."

Triton and the others considered her words. The middle princess smiled happily when they all lit up after a moment.

"I believe she has a point," Sebastian announced. "Your Majesty, if these kids could show you Ariel's way of fun, then you could have fun yourself."

A bright smile appeared on the king's features as he turned to his daughter's friends. "I will join you today. Maybe we could visit the Olympians."

Urchin lit up. "I have a better idea Sir."

Triton followed the small group to the sunken ship Urchin had found. The king was nervous about being near such a human thing, but he did want to know more about what Ariel did on a somewhat daily basis while out with her friends.

"Why are we here?" Triton asked suspiciously.

Urchin and Flounder turned around while the others swam ahead to the ship. "We were here with Ariel last week," Flounder answered.

"We went to Archimedes the next day about a few…things we found," Urchin added, not sure how to explain the adventure to the king. "It was a normal day for us."

The merboy and guppy continued to the ship with a hesitant Triton right behind them. Once above the main deck, Triton was in awe of the structure. Of course, it was the same ship where Ariel had found the drawing of the girl only a week earlier. The king, however, didn't know that. He thought she was playing games with her friends all day.

"This is quite amazing," Triton finally said breathlessly as Arista, Gabriella and Ollie explored another part of the ship while Flounder swam nearby the two mermen. "I have never seen a ship like this one."

Urchin grinned proudly. "I found this one and brought Ariel here to see it. She was more than excited about the whole idea." The merboy picked up an old set of keys, chuckling aloud to the king. "Thingamajiggers were her favorites most of the time," he said as he jingled the set. "She always said they gave a certain glint of fun to the adventure at hand."

Triton smiled. "I see," he hummed. "Maybe one adventure with her won't hurt." Urchin glanced curiously at his father-figure. "Just to see what she does with you and the others of course."

Urchin grinned. "That sounds like a good idea. Ariel would be a bit nervous though. I think I can get her to agree."

"Thank you Urchin." The king clapped a hand on the young merman's shoulder. "Now, I would like to see what else she does on a normal adventure." His mile faltered in the tiniest bit. "Minus the dangers of course."

The merboy laughed. "Of course Sir," he said.


	17. Chapter 17

**Yup that's right! Chapter 17 is in the house!**

**Just finished. I will have more on Lerdois in the coming chapters and hopefully more on Apollo's visit from Ch 15. There was a reason as he is going to do, um, something... Enjoy Ch 17!  
**

* * *

Chapter 17

Just entering through the gates was overwhelming to Ariel alone. Then, riding in the chariot through the village was intimidating as she stared at the tall buildings, thinking they were bigger than her own palace home. Thor had said that the buildings and homes were much more structured than even Olympia's. She had thought he was exaggerating, but then regretted thinking it altogether.

The merfolk were different as well. They looked the same, but acted in a much different way. Ariel saw a few very scary ones that sent her very threatening looks. She wasn't sure what to think of them. Thor was a bit on end himself about them, even if he had visited the kingdom before. Tsunami seemed to be neglecting his people from what he could see. He brushed it off to speak with his friend about it during his stay.

The princess caught sight of the palace itself, seeing the entrance as intimidating as the people. She gulped loudly, not sure what to do or say.

"This is only for the peace between the kingdoms," she reassured herself quietly, unfortunately being heard by Thor as they exited the chariot. "I'll only be here a month. Then I'll be home with everyone again."

"Ariel, this isn't an ordinary visit just because of the peace treaty," Thor said as they entered the palace.

She stared at him. "How so?"

Thor sighed heavily. "It's just a feeling I have right now. The last time I visited, the people were much more cheerful and kind. This time, something isn't right." His heart ached over the thought.

The Atlantican princess and Olympian prince were led through the halls to the throne room. When they entered the throne room, Thor immediately recognized the form of the prince, seeing his face sullen in thought.

"Tsunami!" he greeted. He had a bright orange tail along with short, dirty blond hair and his skin had slightest bit of a tan to it.

The prince looked up from his interrupted thinking to find Thor escorted in by his guards. A smile graced his features as he swam toward his friend. "Thor!" he greeted enthusiastically. "How are you my friend?" he asked as the two princes grasped hands as only friends do.

"Well my friend," Thor answered in the same tone. The two released each other and Thor brought the mermaid closer. "This is Princess Ariel of Atlantica."

Ariel smiled warmly and bowed in respect. "My pleasure Your Highness."

The prince of Lerdois laughed heartily. "Just call me Tsunami," he corrected sweetly, taking her hand and kissing the wrist.

The princess smiled, a chuckle passing her lips. "Of course Tsunami. As you know, Thor and I will be here for the next month to discuss the peace treaty between Lerdois and Atlantica."

"I am well aware Ariel," Tsunami commented. "But why don't you enjoy your first day in Lerdois! I will personally see to it that you are treated like honored guests."

"Thank you Tsunami," Ariel said gratefully.

"You are welcome, Princess." Tsunami smiled and turned toward the hallway. "Korrako! Please come in here!" he called cheerily, turning back to his guests. "My cousin will show you to where you'll be sleeping. Please take your time settling in."

With that, a young mermaid had zipped into the throne room. She had a dark blue tail, a solid red seashell bra, fairly light skin and dark hair that was held up in a high sea-pony tail. Two thinner sea-pony tails that hung down the sides of her face, in front of her ears.

She held a hand at her hip and showed an enthusiastic air about herself. "Hey!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "I'm Korrako. Follow me to your rooms."

Ariel and Thor followed the energetic mergirl to the royal chambers. The princess took in every detail of the palace, careful not to leave anything out in her letter home. Her six sisters would love the designs while Urchin would probably be excited about the place altogether. Flounder might just want to come see her and see it.

"Do you think they would love an adventure here?" Thor asked, still looking around.

Ariel had to suppress a giggle. "I'm more than sure they would. Urchin might just be jealous of it."

The prince chuckled. "I bet. He always enjoyed a good adventure with you."

The red-head blushed just hearing that. Urchin and her were the closest of friends and were now moving onto something more. Thor could easily see that before they left Atlantica. He even saw the knowing expression on the king's face as they did leave. Triton knew the truth before he himself could guess.

Ariel, on the other fin, was still beside herself about when she kissed Urchin. She had still wondering what was going through his head. They may be miles apart, but she still felt close to him.

"Here we are!" Korrako announced, breaking both of their thoughts. "Ariel, left. Thor, right. Settle in. We'll call you in for dinner soon." The mergirl then left toward who knows where.

The two merteens shrugged it off and went to their respective rooms. Ariel's was a surreal sky blue mixed with ocean green. The bed was as big as four of her sisters' beds combined! There was a vanity mirror and a nightstand with shelves lining the walls. Needless to say, she liked it. Especially when she laid down on the bed, feeling the soft and comfy sponge blankets. She then swam out to the balcony that overlooked the east side of the kingdom. This included the front of the palace, the gates and part of the busy village.

_This view is amazing._ She thought to herself._ Just a teeny bit better than back home_.

Thor's room was entirely different as it had dark seaweed green walls and a surprisingly bright red sponge blanket on the slightly bigger bed. He had a coral dresser on the other side of the bed. Not far from that was a balcony that overlooked the west side of the kingdom. He could see the village, along with its merfolk bustling about.

It didn't take long to settle in when Tsunami had called them down for dinner. Lerdois was going to quite an adventure for the two royal teens.


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry it took so long everybody. Had a bit of writers block for the whole day. But the next chapter will be centered around Urchin. Then I'll go back to Ariel.**

**Without further ado, Chapter 18!  
**

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Chapter 18

While his youngest child was away in Lerdois on royal business, Triton was learning more and more about how her much Ariel enjoyed human things. Even though it burned his soul to know that she collects them, he is proud of her for seeing something that he did not.

Triton also greatly noticed how much Urchin missed Ariel. It was obvious the merboy had feelings for the royal mermaid, but he couldn't bring himself to say. Although the sea king accepted the young merman as a son, deep in the back of his mind, he wouldn't mind seeing him as a mer-son-in-law. He had protected and saved his family on many occasions just as Ariel and himself had. The only problem was that Urchin would not admit to his feelings. The king had decided his mission then and there: he was going to help Urchin reveal to Ariel how he felt about her. It would be a challenge, but quite fun.

It had been a week since Ariel left, and her sisters were primping themselves. But one was missing: a certain blond with a red tail. Turned out, Arista had gotten a head start on the day and swam to Ariel's grotto. Her sister's first letter would coming in any day and she promised Ariel that she would make room in the grotto for new treasures.

"I can't wait to hear what Lerdois is like!" she exclaimed excitedly to no one in particular. "Ariel probably wrote about every single little detail even."

The eighteen year old princess made it to the secret grotto and, glancing around quickly, dashed inside before anyone could notice. She just didn't look hard enough to see if anyone was watching. Off in the distance, near a sand bank, King Triton was on his morning swim and had overheard Arista silently squeal in the quiet morning. He happened to catch a glimpse of her tail slip behind a large rock. The Atlantican king became quite puzzled as to why she would be out here so early. He silently swam to the rock formation, not knowing what it really was, and carefully moved the rock.

Once inside, he was awestruck of the sight before him. He saw all of Ariel's treasures upon the rock shelves, boxes of screws and springs, even the dancing ballerina music box on a nearby shelf.

"So this is where she brings all of those human things," he muttered silently, continuing to brows the collection.

He heard a gasp and turned to find Arista staring at him in shock. "Father!" she tried. "How did you… Why are you… You're not supposed… What?" The middle daughter couldn't speak from the shock.

Triton was slightly confused until realization hit him. "I wasn't supposed to know about this, was I?"

Arista slowly nodded. "Ariel kept it hidden for a reason," she slowly answered.

The sea king sighed heavily, noticing the drawing his youngest had recently found. "If only Ariel could understand how proud I am of her."

The blond princess shook her head, confusion evident in her features. "You're proud, of her, for this?" Her father nodded solemnly. Arista blinked. "Wow. She has been hiding this for nearly five years and you could have been joining her all this time."

Triton smiled at the thought. "It would be interesting to learn more about humans instead of trying to avoid them all of the time."

Arista beamed. "Ariel's letter is going to be here soon. Maybe we could tell her?" Then she had a better idea. "You should tell her, in your own writing. She would understand."

Triton sighed and looked back at his middle daughter. "She wouldn't like knowing that I know of her secret."

"I will be writing it as well Father," Arista added. "She'll believe us both."

The king finally agreed to the idea and they went to palace. Urchin came rushing in not too much later, yelling over the fact that Ariel's letter had finally arrived. He kept showing it everyone, pointing at the return address.

"See? See? It's from Ariel!"

It took nearly ten minutes for Triton to calm him down so they could read what Ariel had written. Triton read the letter of course.

_To my family and friends in Atlantica:_

_I hope all is well at home. Lerdois is an amazing kingdom. The homes and market are much busier here as there are more merfolk living here. Thor and I have already made a few friends. Prince Tsunami had introduced us to his sweet cousin when we arrived. Korrako is a sweet mergirl. She is quite energetic as well. Tsunami is of course such a gentlemerman. He does remind me of a dear friend of mine._—Urchin immediately blushed while the princesses snickered.—_The palace itself is quite a place to behold. The detail is incredible! There are tiny, but noticeable, engravings and shapes carved into the grand stone, almost as if it was made of ice. The crafters must have had delicate hands for such breathtaking detail._

_As well as the palace, the village in just as majestic. The merfolk are all so friendly. They accept guests quickly, as though we were visiting family. It is very fun to get to know them while we are here. Thor and Tsunami are catching up on their time apart. The two are such close friends._

_Flounder, Urchin and all of my dear friends, I wish you both were here to have this adventure with me. There are so many new places to explore. I have not been able to have an adventure yet as I am here for Daddy, but I hope to soon. Thor wishes to accompany me on it. I will tell you everything we do._

_My sisters, the jewels here something you all would love. I happened to see an incredible glow shell while in the market that I know Alana would just love to have. Aquata, Andrina and Adella, there are quite a few dance clubs here as well. Arista, there are plenty of places to explore if you ever do get the chance to visit. Attina, you and Tsunami would get along great as diplomats, or ambassadors. He loves to discuss anything business, even in the market with his subjects._

_Daddy, the kingdom is amazing. I know you would loved to have done this yourself, but thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. It is amazing here._

_Urchin, I hope you are reading this now. I miss you so much my friend. I wish we had more time to talk before I left. There is so much I wish to tell you, but there is not enough room for all of that. I do hope you understand how much I do care for you my dear friend._

_I wish you all the best until I return. More letters will be written soon. It has only been a week and I miss you all so much already. I promise to complete this mission with only the highest honor for the kingdom of Atlantica. I will write as soon as I can._

_With much love,_

_Ariel_

Urchin was quiet while the others chatted about the letter they had received. He understood why Ariel couldn't say too much. He just hoped she really did mean what she said before she left. He was brought out of his thoughts when his name was called.

"Urchin? Is there an Urchin here?" a dolphin had called.

The young merman knit his brow in confusion. "I'm here Urchin," he answered.

The smiled with relief. "Mail for you," he replied, handing the merboy an envelope. "Have a good day." The dolphin sped off through the murkiness of the ocean.

Urchin held the parchment in his hands, reading the return address. He almost couldn't breathe when he read riel's name across the top. Flounder was floating by his shoulder when the princesses and Triton had noticed what he held.

"Who's it from?" Arista asked curiously.

Urchin licks his lips and near trembles. "Ariel" was his quiet response. He couldn't think, let alone move. His breath caught in his throat while his heart thumped wildly in his ears.

_She wrote to me!_ he screamed in his head, or maybe his heart. He couldn't tell which. _She really did write to me! Maybe he explains everything. Maybe she tells me how she really feels._

Maybe, just maybe.

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**Yes, I know I left another cliffhangar. You should be used to them by now! Anyway, next chapter will be about the letter Urchin receives. I'll let you guess what she says while I figure it out!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey everyone! Happy New Year!**

**Just finished this last night, but I forgot to upload. I also started Ch 20 before I did remember to post this. You're finally going to see the plot develop . . . in the next installment. Sorry guys.  
**

**For now, enjoy!  
**

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Chapter 19

_Urchin,_

_My dear friend, you have always been there for me in the worst, best, funniest, and most dangerous times in the few years I have known you. There is nothing in the entire world, ocean or human, that I would trade these amazing memories for. You are the brother I never knew, the friend I always had, the love I'm starting to see. If I lost you, my world would crumble._

_All of our adventures would mean nothing if we didn't share them. You risked your life for me many times, even using Daddy's trident to save me and Flounder! But nothing could change how I know I feel about you right now._

_You have matured greatly in the past year. In the week before I left, I noticed how much you had grown. Your muscles are very much there as you have grown into a near seventeen year old merteen. We may not know your age, but you now look a year older than myself. Please, do not change anymore from the fun-loving merboy I met three years ago. It would be a shame to say good-bye to him again._

_Since you told me you love me, I have been searching for the true reason I love you. I know it sounds silly to say that, but I really do more than care for you as a brother. To tell the truth, you opened my eyes to the love I was never searching for. And as long as you feel this way about me, I will never turn away from you, ever, for as long as I live._

_I love you all the same, my dear Urchin. Now and Forever. Beyond the end of time._

_With so much love,_

_Ariel_

Urchin sat there, trembling as he held the letter he had been anticipating and the answer he dreaded and feared about. But here it was, written plain as day in his new love's writing. He felt he couldn't breathe. He didn't even remember he was still in the throne room with the royal family. Triton shot a concerned look his way, receiving no response as the merboy continued to hold the letter.

"Urchin?" Arista tried. No response. "Please, Urchin? What did she say?"

The young merman finally blinked and looked at the red-tailed princess, hope in his eyes as his expression still held shock. "She…she feels the same way." A smile began to inch its way across his features while five of the sisters each held confusion. "She feels the same way." His voice was slightly louder now. "She feels the same way!" he cheered as he threw his hands into the air, one still holding the letter tightly, and a chuckle escaping his lips.

Triton wore a proud grin when Urchin had looked back at him. "Very well then," he said, matching the enthusiasm while still maintaining his composure. "At least we don't have to wait any longer to hear the truth."

What happened next was unexpected by everyone. Urchin swam up to the king and hugged him! Triton was in shock for a moment but returned the hug.

"I hoped you were the one," Triton whispered to the merboy.

Urchin smiled broadly as he broke the hug. He straightened and bowed his head respectfully. "Sir."

Triton laughed. "I told you to call me father," he chuckled, his tone loving and warm.

The merboy smiled even more. "Thank you…Father."

All of the ten beings in the room, merfolk and creature, knew the ocean's atmosphere had changed right then and there. And Urchin knew that he would become an official member of the family when the time came. He just had to let Ariel know about what she said.

It didn't take long to find the pen and paper when he returned home. As soon as he found them, Urchin began to write as quickly as Ariel could swim during a race between the two. He had almost spaced out as he wrote until he heard panting at his cave entrance.

"Sebastian?" he asked when he turned and spotted the crab. "What are you doing here?"

The crab recomposed himself and answered. "Making sure you stay outta trouble mon."

The merboy chuckled and continued his letter, not wanting to forget or lose anything his heart was saying to Ariel at that moment.

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**Hope you like the big reveal from Ariel!  
**

**So, I don't know exactly if I'll be able to post Ch 20 today or after New Year's. I'll be gone all day and at parties.**

**But have a safe and wishfulfilled 2013 everyone. I'll see you next year!  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Happy new Year everybody! It's finally 2013 and I have decided to attack you all with the finally achieved plot line. MUAHAHAHA!**

**But still, enjoy!  
**

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Chapter 20

"How did this happen?" Prince Tsunami bellowed.

The guards had just delivered the news of an attack on the kingdom by a forgotten evil force. Sharkanians had appeared and ambushed several palace guards and no one knew what to make of it.

"The peace negotiations cannot and will not be disturbed," Tsunami stated clearly. "This will benefit us all from this sort of thing." The guards were near trembling when Thor and Ariel swam in. "Go and make sure no one is hurt. I will not have any of my subjects harmed from this…unexpected event."

Both guards bowed and swam off to do their job while the prince fell back into his throne with an exasperated sigh. Ariel and Thor became concerned for the prince. He was ruling the kingdom all by himself after all, with no hand to guide him. The princess swam to his side, laying a hand on his. Tsunami looked at her.

"I'm sure you'll know how to stop them," she comforted with a smile.

He smiled back, laying his free hand on hers. "Thank you Ariel."

Thor was grinning at the two and was about to speak until Korrako came rushing in, a look of terror and confusion in her posture and expression.

"Evil Manta is on his way to the palace door!" she almost shrieked.

Tsunami blinked in confusion and then followed his cousin to the doors. Ariel and Thor followed close behind. The princess quickly saw the giant purple and black creature as he floated like a current through the village to the palace. She suddenly spotted a smaller look-alike following him. A smile crept onto her face as she rushed toward them. Tsunami and Korrako didn't react in time while Thor smiled as she greeted the two.

"Little Evil!" she called, attacking her friend with a hug.

"Ariel!" The small manta smiled and hugged her back. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for a peace negotiation in Daddy's place." She looked at the giant manta in confusion. "Why are you both here?"

The bigger manta held an expression of slight fear, trying to hold terror back when he answered. "I need to speak with the prince immediately. It's important."

"I am Prince Tsunami," the royal answered as he finally reached the small-ish group. "What is going on that you feel the need to scare my subjects?" Korrako hid behind her cousin, fearing the great creature in front of her.

Evil Manta nearly glowered him down, but kept a straight face as he spoke. "A great evil force is back and wants to take Lerdois apart. But it has been long forgotten and no one remembers its power. Not even I can stop it."

Thor moved forward. "Has anyone been able to stop it before?" he asked.

The manta hung his head. "Only one. But he is the king of—"

"Daddy," Ariel said aloud, interrupting her friend's father. "He once defeated a powerful sorceress, trapping her a cave." She looked at the manta. "Is it her?"

"One can only guess," he replied, dread lacing his voice.

Little Evil laid a hand on Ariel's shoulder. "Maybe he can do it again," he said, his tone hopeful.

Ariel shook her head sadly. "I don't know Little Evil. He might not be able to a second time." She perked up at the sound of one the dolphins from Triton's chariot. "What's going on now?"

The dolphin raced to her, making clicking sounds and gesturing back to the chariot stables.

Tsunami and Thor had the same look of worry. "Something's wrong," Tsunami spoke. "We have to hurry."

The prince of Lerdois led the three merteens and two mantas behind the palace to the stables. When they arrived, it was in shambles. Stone was in pieces, supplies were everywhere.

"It looks like a hurricane hit here," Korrako commented as she picked up a saddle fitted for a young giant seahorse. "What are we going to do?" she asked, looking to her cousin.

Tsunami sighed. "You have to go with Ariel somewhere safe."

"What?" Korrako shouted. "I've been training for something like this! You can't just say that I—"

"Not ready," Tsunami interjected, laying his hands on his cousin's shoulders. "I can't lose my only family. You must go. Please Korie. Go." She nodded reluctantly.

Thor was the next to speak. "Ariel can fight. I've seen her in battle. She's even defeated the Sharkanians with her wit."

Ariel's eyes widened. "I wouldn't say really fought. But I have been _in the middle_ of a war. The war last year, not fighting. I can still trick my enemies though."

"It's too risky," Tsunami said. "If you were hurt, your father would never forgive me."

Evil Manta looked at the princess with a slight twinkle in his red eyes. "She has been able to manipulate a brain sponge to attack another before. I can tell that whole story, but there is no time."

The prince sighed and looked at the red-head. "If things get too drastic, she leaves. No ifs ands or buts about it."

No one opposed. Evil Manta and Little Evil followed the others into the palace. Tsunami stopped just outside the door, holding his cousin back as well. Ariel heard him explaining something and stopped. She knew it was wrong, but let's face it: she's fifteen!

"You need to find Pearl and get her out of here," Tsunami demanded. "If I lost her, I would never forgive myself."

Korrako sighed. "No problem. I'll make sure she stays safe." She gave a reassuring grin. "You can count on me."

Tsunami smiled in return. "You know you're next in line if I…"

"And that won't happen. I trust you'll stay safe as well." Korrako gave her cousin a hug and swam off.

"I wish it were that easy," the prince muttered, not knowing he was being watched.

Ariel swam quickly to the throne room before Tsunami caught her.

_Pearl?_ she thought. _It can't be the same Pearl from Atlantica, Alana's best friend, the trouble-maker of the seas, is it?_

* * *

**Oooo! A new hint about Tsunami. I wonder . . . But I promise to elaborate on Thor in the future. I've been prioritized with the main characters and plot line. Sorry.**

**Happy New Year though! May it bring more Fanfictions to your fandoms.  
**


	21. Chapter 21

**Plot reveal time! Yes, you now get to see why Thor was so weird back in Ch 15. Please take into consideration how troubled he is about the situation.**

**Enjoy anyway! And Happy New Year! (I'm sure you've heard enough times by now.)  
**

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Chapter 21

Ariel knew that she had eavesdropped on something important, but didn't say anything. Tsunami was having enough trouble with his kingdom being attacked, yet not attacked. This force was something that knew what it was doing. The princess had only ever seen that once when her father had been turned into a merboy. She couldn't think of any other incident where this kind of strategy appeared.

"We need a plan of attack," Tsunami announced when he entered the throne room, everyone looking at him. "One of which my subjects will not become wary of the situation. I have already thought of sending a few guards to Atlantica and warning Triton of our current dilemma."

Thor was deep in thought while Ariel glanced at the two mantas floating nearby. She knew Evil Manta wasn't evil anymore, but she was still cautious around the giant creature. Little Evil was a sweet manta, until his father who had always been a villain. The younger one had been a friend to her since she met him and showed him the different things he could do with his tail—art, target practice on shells, and much more.

"I could send word to my father for help when we need it," Thor suggested. "He would be more than eager to oblige."

Tsunami nodded and faced Ariel. "I know we are not fully allies yet, but I do hope you can ask for your father's assistance in your next letter or sooner if possible."

The princess smiled. "I already use dolphin mail to keep in touch with them. Asking Daddy for help will be no problem at all."

Both princes smiled in thanks as Thor looked uneasily at the two others in the room. "What about them?" he asked nervously.

Manta nearly glared at the merteen prince. "I can provide assistance in holding off the threat. However, Ursula and Emperor Sharga still believe I am on their side. I can trick them into giving me a few potions or tactics to aid us. My son can help as well in that area." He laid a hand on his son's frame as he spoke. "He will not let his friend down as I will not protest to his wishes anymore."

Ariel grinned. "So it's decided. We have our spies, tactics and aids until further information arrives."

Both princes agreed and went their separate ways as the mantas left for home.

Little Evil glanced back at his friend. "We'll start right away Ariel!" he called over his shoulder as he left with his father.

The princess thanked him and went to her room to start her letter for her father. She was already milling over how she would ask for his assistance when she had entered the room. When reaching the desk to think, Ariel saw a dark spec outside her window, stopping to see what it was. The spec became larger as it came closer. The red-head gasped as the figure became clear, revealing a Sharkanian century. He growled at her, barring his teeth.

"I have a message for you," he snarled in his gravelly voice.

Ariel tried to back away but couldn't move from her spot. Her voice wouldn't even work.

"Tell Prince Thor his deal is still holding," he explained.

She became confused. "Deal?" she barely squeaked.

He ignored her question. "If he delivers the news of his kingdom to Prince Tsunami, Emperor Sharga will kill his father, along with destroying the kingdom of Olympia." With that, the Sharkanian swam off into the murky blue.

A look of confusion rested on the princess's features. Ariel didn't know what to think of what the evil shark had just said. She did only one thing: she swam to Thor's room and asked him what was going on in Olympia. That might have been a mistake.

* * *

"What?!" Thor shouted angrily. "A Sharkanian came to you and said that I had to keep the deal or my father and all of Olympia are finished?"

Ariel nodded shakily. "I don't know what the deal is or what he's talking about, but—" She stopped when Thor broke down, falling onto the floor and sobbing about the change in events. She didn't know what to make of this.

"W-why did he d-do that?" he said between sobs. "I t-told him not to, b-b-but he did anyw-way."

"Thor?" Ariel knelt next to him. "What are you talking about? What did who do?"

Thor sniffed, wiping his tears with his arms as he continued to hiccup sobs. "Father. He m-made a d-deal with the Sh-Sharkanians, trying to s-spare the k-kingdom and f-force an alliance w-w-with Lerdois."

"He sent you to get me because it would be the easiest way to make them convincing, didn't he?" she guessed.

He nodded, tears still spilling from his eyes. "He said it w-was the only w-way it w-would work."

The princess sighed. "Well, he guessed right. Someone's setting you up and is using your home as leverage."

The prince was starting to breathe normally when he spoke. "I think you w-would be the same way if you w-were in my p-position."

It was cleared his voice was shaky over the whole ordeal. Ariel couldn't blame. She _would_ be in the same condition if it were her instead. But she would find a way around it. This princess always found a solution, and she wasn't going to give up now or any time soon. She thought about how she had stopped the Sharkanians in the past. Urchin had helped her stop the Magic Lump when they helped Sebastian pretend to be king once. She almost forgot the real problem when she thought of Urchin.

_He's helped me so much! How can I not think about him without remembering I love him now? _she thought to herself, trying hard not to sigh.

She tried to think about the Sharkanian threats again and remembered that they only do what Sharga orders them to. That was there weakness: if it's not from Sharga, it's not something they're supposed to do.

"Maybe Daddy can help with that…"

Thor gave her a strange look.

* * *

**Yes, that is why he was uptight a few chapters back. Please leave constructive comments. I will have more details later.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys! Finally finished Ch 22. Took a few days to come up with something. You'll get to see an old friend this time. Prepare to see a twist!**

**Also, I recalculated my views. 800 for December. 1,190 overall. I definitely wasn't paying attention. Thanks so much guys! You're all amazing!  
**

* * *

Chapter 22

After her latest excursion with her friends to Eelectric City, Pearl decided to head back to Lerdois for another visit. She knew Prince Tsunami would be happy to see her, as he always was. Her squid cycle was going faster than usual since she wanted to be there now.

"Eelectric City is nothing compared to Lerdois anymore," she said to herself. "That prince knows how to throw a wavy party."

Within hours, she had reached the gates and the guards instantly let her pass—she is a frequent visitor to the kingdom after all. As she rode through the village, the merfolk waving to and greeting her, she caught Korrako swimming around. It seemed she was searching for someone. A merman the mergirl spoke to pointed to Pearl and Korrako headed toward her.

"Thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed. "Tsunami said I have to get you to Atlantica. No questions asked."

Pearl gave her a weird look. "I just got here so I could see Tsunami. So I'm going to see him," she said, revving her squid cycle again and zipping to the palace doors.

Once there, she hopped off and Korrako followed her toward the throne room. Because of being a regular visitor, Pearl knew her way around the kingdom—she even tried blindfolded once and beat Tsunami at the game! She soon found the prince ordering the guards around to do certain jobs, but something was off.

_He sounds more frantic than usual._ Pearl thought as she swam up.

"Understood your highness," a guard said with a bow and swam off.

"Hey Nami!" Pearl greeted cheerily.

The prince turned around, concern instantly lit up his face. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone heavy with concern and worry. "I told Korrako to take you to Atlantica." He sent a glare toward his cousin.

"I just got here," Pearl answered. "I wanted to spend some time here with you." She rubbed his muscular arm caringly. "You wouldn't send me away that quick would you?"

Tsunami shivered at her touch. The blond merteen knew how to get his attention in any situation. He tried to keep his priorities straight. His kingdom was in trouble. A threat was coming and he needed to stop it before something bad happened.

"Not now Pearl," Tsunami said, gently pushing away her arms. "I have work to do."

Pearl seemed hurt, but noticed he was more hurt than her by just having to deny spending time together. "What's wrong Nami?" She placed a hand on his cheek. "Please, tell me."

Tsunami sighed and looked into her pale green eyes. He had always compared them to the rarest kind of seaweed. "I can't have you here right now," he answered, trying to keep his voice steely and not break. "Something happened the other day and I want you to stay safe. Please, I want you to stay in Atlantica until this is over."

Pearl blinked in confusion and fear at him. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure yet. But please just go where it's safe." He took her hands in his. "Please. I don't want to lose you." His sky blue eyes were pleading as he looked into hers.

She sighed with worry. "Okay," she answered, her voice shaky. "I promise to stay safe."

Tsunami grinned happily, a bit of hope returning to his features. "Thank you Pearl. I will call for you when I believe it's safe again." He held her close and kissed her head.

Pearl was just about to leave when Ariel and Thor came rushing in.

"Tsunami!" Ariel called, her voice urgent. "Thor has something important to tell you." Both merteens stopped next to the prince. Ariel was first to notice her friend. "Pearl?"

"Hi Ariel," she greeted. "Nice day for a visit, isn't it?"

* * *

**Oooo! That was interesting . . . Well, I'd better get to the next chapter. More to come!**

**So a bit of a head's up right now. Ch 23 will be a bit later in the month as my winter break ends in a couple days (BOOOO!) and I have too much to do starting Monday. The chapter is already half done, but a few details are missing. It will be up ASAP. Please review though!  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**More of the plotline is revealed! Pearl has returned again. Other characters will arrive. Back to Lerdois in the next couple chapters. Please review!**

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Chapter 23

Atlantica was peaceful that day. It had barely been two weeks since Ariel had left for Lerdois, and her friends were once again having fun. Well, most of them anyway. One certain merman was still missing his beloved mermaid.

"I wish I could see her," he muttered to himself. "If only I could hold her again in my arms. She could have asked Triton to allow at least one friend to go with her. But then she'd have to choose." The merboy groaned. "That leaves me and Flounder. Bad thought to have now." He continued to argue with himself as he sat on the throne in the palace.

Triton was out with Apollo, checking the borders for the third time in the past week. Ariel's last letter had said something about a threat from a greater force on Lerdois. The king wasn't taking any chances. No one could blame him, not even Urchin. He was, after all, worried about Ariel just as much as the king was.

"Hey Urchin," Arista called as she entered the throne room. Urchin glanced at her, not saying one word. "I thought you would be here. Father wanted to know if you were willing to join him for target practice when he returns."

The merboy sighed, his arms crossed on his chest. "I don't know. I'll let him know when he gets back."

Arista became confused. Urchin was always ready for target practice with Triton. She knew he was upset he couldn't be with Ariel, but this was getting crazy. He barely did anything since that letter arrived a few days ago. The middle princess knew for a fact that Urchin never passed up an opportunity for fun. Now, he was just ignoring everyone.

Arista had had enough. "Alright then." Urchin looked up at her this time, sitting up at her tone. "You are going to have fun today, whether you want to or not."

Urchin huffed out in boredom. "You can't be serious?"

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh am I? I'm taking you to the amphitheatre and we are meeting everyone there. You are going to have fun and will write to Ariel about everyone and what we all did today. Now come on. Everyone's waiting."

The blond princess grabbed his hand, almost dragging him the whole way to their destination.

"I told you to let me go Arista!" Urchin shouted an hour later.

"Tell that to them," the eighteen year old mermaid said, finally letting go and pushing him in front of the crowd.

The merboy froze upon seeing all of his and Ariel's closest friends, even the Olympians and King Triton, in the seats. He could barely breathe as he scanned the crowd. Triton nodded at him and the merboy gulped nervously.

"Hi," he said timidly. "I have no idea what just happened. But uh, Arista pushed me up here and didn't bother to tell me what was going on." He sent a glare toward the red-tailed blond princess, but she just giggled with her sisters. "I don't exactly understand what's going on anyway."

Triton swam on stage at that moment and floated next to the merboy, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Urchin, you have been chosen over many young mermen to lead the troops of Atlantica to Lerdois to aid them in the fight." Urchin stared up at the king. "Whatever the threat may be, I know you are ready for it. You have battled sharks, Ursula, a giant octopus, and even the Sharkanians alongside my youngest daughter. I have chosen you not only for your bravery, but for the fact that you will never back down when someone you care for is in the line of fire."

"But Your Majesty—"

Triton smiled, holding his trident high. "This battle for peace will be remembered for generations to come as Atlantica, Olympia, and now Lerdois fight side by side against a greater, more powerful foe than anything ever imagined."

Both Atlanticans and Olympians cheered. Urchin saw Flounder, Gabriella, Ollie and the six elder princesses join them. He just didn't have the heart to decline the king. Something suddenly caught his eye and he recognized the sound of a squid cycle cutting through the crowd.

"King Triton!" a familiar voice yelled. Pearl halted the squid cycle right at the stage and swam up to the king's side. A red-tailed, dark-haired, younger mermaid followed her.

"Pearl?" Urchin nearly shouted in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you were back Eelectric City."

"I've been in Lerdois for the last few days," she answered. "Prince Tsunami sent me here with his cousin to warn you about the threat. He, Thor and Ariel have heard that this enemy is far more powerful than any of the threats we have ever faced."

Sebastian crawled onto the king's shoulder. "How is dat possible?" he worriedly asked.

Urchin's eyes widened in realization. "Unless they've combined forces and are all going to attack" Pearl nodded meekly. "But how did they think that would work? They don't even get along when two of them meet."

"That is very true," a deep voice said from above.

Atlanticans and Olympians gasped in terror at the sight of the Evil Manta above them. None of them knew he was no longer evil. Urchin still doubted he wasn't ever since Ariel told him what happened. Triton readied his trident in case of a surprise attack.

"I understand that you all have mixed feelings about seeing me," Evil Manta started, his expression calm and cautious. "However, your friend speaks the truth. I visited Prince Tsunami only a few days ago with this news. His Majesty did of course take precautions when Ariel told of a very interesting story that involved King Triton himself."

The sea king furrowed his brow but kept his trident ready. "What did she say exactly?" he asked calmly, his expression showing pure anger toward the creature.

Manta turned to the king. "She spoke of the sorceress you had imprisoned many years ago."

Triton lowered his symbol of power, holding it close, and looked Evil Manta square in the eye. "I did imprison her, but what does she have to do with this?"

"I am not sure," the manta replied. "However, I suggest you prepare for the battle of your lives. If she is involved, it will be a fight to remember." With that, the giant manta opened his wings and glided off in the murky blue.

Urchin turned to the king. "Sir, who is the sorceress?" All six princesses looked at their father.

"I believe now is a good time for the story," Sebastian stated from his perch.

Triton sighed. "Yes Sebastian. I believe it is." The king looked at each of his daughters, Urchin, and the subjects of Atlantica as well as Olympia. "It started when I had just been crowned king of Atlantica…"

* * *

**I don't know the actual story, so I'm leaving a cliff hangar.**

**Also, this will be the last chapter for a while. I go back to school tomorrow and have too much to do. Any questions? Just review and I'll answer.  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry it's been so long! Finals are coming up soon and have study study study! That's why this chapter is so short and I apologize in advance. But I finally decided to show the villains' points of views(all of them in 3rd person).**

**Thanks for the awesome reviews. Here's Ch 24!  
**

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Chapter 24

Emperor Sharga was leading his Sharkanians as usual when Ursula and the Octapins came swimming to him. The emperor of the sharks was very confused at the visit. Ursula was, after all, supposed to prepare the attack.

"I thought you were not going to be here until next week," Sharga said in his usual raspy and slow tone.

"I know Emperor," Ursula commented. "But I just had to see you about our, employer." Sharga glanced at her, knowing where this was headed. "I have not met the genius of this plan, yet you seem to know who it is."

"Just tell me what you want," Sharga stated in annoyance.

Ursula scowled. "I want to know who we are working for and what their gain is in this."

"All will be revealed soon," Sharga defended in his normal voice. "Our new friend will show when they are ready."

The Octapins grew impatient with the explanation.

"We want to attack now!" one shouted angrily.

"Atlantica deserves to pay!" another shouted.

"In time my friends. In time." Sharga was obviously impatient with them.

Ursula had her arms crossed over her chest. "As long as no one here betrays the others like Evil Manta did," she criticized.

Sharga arched a brow at her. "He was attacked by his own brain sponge because of the mermaid nuisance. His son wanted him to change as well."

"That is why I never had children." Ursula scowled at the thought.

The sea witch never did like children because of Ariel. Her six sisters weren't a problem as they were actually well-behaved. Ariel always, _always_ got into trouble no matter what it was she was doing. Ursula hated that girl as much as Sharga and the Sharkanians.

"I know you are still despising the mermaid," Sharga said, not even looking at the sea witch. "She will be rid of in time as well."

"She's in Lerdois," an Octapin pointed out.

"And they are joining the fight with Atlantica and Olympia," Sharga clarified. "This is why we are waiting. As soon as all three kingdoms' kings are in one place at once, we will attack. That is our plan, and why we must wait."

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**I told you it was short. Anyway, I'll try to get Ch 25 in the works. Not Easy at the current time. May be a week. But let me know what ya think of this one!**


	25. Chapter 25

**I'm back! And I survived all of Lint!**

**So here's the next chapter of What Should've Happened. I needed to get back to this one and reveal what Urchin has to say.**

**Also, everyone remembers Hala from Ice Age? She's doing fine now. Roshan and Rein are doing great. More to come on the herd soon. But for now, I want to focus on Ariel, Urchin and the looming threat in the ocean. Please Read & Review!**

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Chapter 25

Ariel and Thor were preparing battle plans for when Atlantica and Olympia's armies arrived. Tsunami listened intently to the royal merteens as Thor began to explain another attack maneuver. Ariel, however, was suddenly distracted by a dolphin calling from the window. Both princes stopped what they were discussing and waited for the princess.

"Message from King Triton," the dolphin said as Ariel took the letter. "Another from Urchin as well."

The red head's eyes widened. "Urchin? I haven't much in the last week from him."

"His letter sounded urgent," the dolphin added. "He asked a rush delivery with Triton's."

Ariel thanked the sea mammal and made her way back to the princes. "News from Daddy," she announced upon entering the war room.

Tsunami graciously took the king's letter and opened it. "He says they are preparing their armies with their leader chosen. Evil Manta explained more to them when he appeared. Triton had to tell of what happened with a sorceress he imprisoned. They believe she's involved."

"What sorceress?" Thor asked in confusion.

"I've met her," Ariel spoke up. "She tricked Glowfish into turning Daddy into a merboy. She then tried to take the trident from Daddy. I remember what he said. He was barely king when she attacked the first time. She is very powerful and manipulative, and will do anything to get the trident." The mermaid was staring at the letter from Urchin the whole time she spoke.

Tsunami slammed his fist on the table in front of them. "We need reinforcements! If this sorceress is that powerful, we need something stronger to stop her."

Ariel's eyes lit up. "That's it!"

Thor and Tsunami were confused. "What's it?" both asked.

"I have to find something first." With that, Ariel zipped out of the palace, Urchin's letter still in her hand.

* * *

It took her some time, but she finally reached the place she was searching for. The far-stretched sandy bottom was almost in the middle of nowhere with a few large rocks spaced apart from one another. The princess swam toward the rock walls nearby. As she neared them, rock became mirrored crystal ice. She looked around carefully, searching for something specific.

"I know it's here!" she told herself. "I saw it once. Just a glimpse, but it was still there."

More searching and she finally spotted what she was searching for: a reflective rock of gold, bright and golden as the sun itself. With a smile, she turned to swam back. She stopped when she realized she still held Urchin's letter. The princess stared at the piece of parchment until finally opening it.

_To my dear Ariel,_

_I wish, more than anything in the entire ocean, that I could be by your side right now. I know you are more concerned with the oncoming threat and want to stop it to save your people as well as Olympia and Lerdois. I understand all of that. You are a princess. But I still wish I could be by your side and help you do that._

_You are my greatest and closest friend. My first friend in fact! No one has ever cared for me as much as you do. If I knew anything about my parents and who they were, I'm sure they would be happy you are my friend. But now you and I have realized our feelings that secretly grew between us. If anything ever happens to you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself for it. You are the only being that I really risked my life for. I don't just care about you: I love you._

_I know you feel the same way. You have already told me everything. You would probably feel the same if anything happened to me. The reason I say that is because your father has chosen me to lead the battle against the threat. He chose me because of what I have faced in the past with you. I know you would lead without hesitation to protect Atlantica, but you would still be frightened. That's how I feel now. I don't want to lose you._

_I love you more than anything and want to be with you forever. That's why I had to speak with your father that day. I asked what would happen if you were proposed to in Lerdois. He said it would be a greater union between the kingdoms. But he understood why I asked as well. I want to, more than life itself, marry you. You're the only one I've ever loved._

_With love forever,_

_Urchin_

The princess couldn't speak. Urchin had more than poured his heart into this. He not only loved her, he wanted to _marry_ her! Ariel suddenly felt her lips curl into a smile and tears run down her cheeks. Urchin was her greatest friend. She did love him, as more than her dorky brother. She knew the only response to this letter and swam as quickly as she could back to Lerdois.

* * *

Tsunami and Thor were still discussing strategies when the princess returned. Both princes froze as she zipped past the war room and into her room. They followed and found her at the table, quickly writing, the pen going so fast that it made them dizzy.

Thor shook his head and leaned against the entry way for support. "You must have something important to tell Atlantica if you're writing that fast," he stated.

Within the minutes she had arrived, Ariel had written almost a full page. "It's too important to think about first," she finally replied as she stuffed the now finished letter in an envelope. "I need to send this immediately!"

As she exited the room, Ariel placed the golden chunk of rock into Tsunami's hand. The prince stared at the rock in confusion as Ariel swam off to find a dolphin to send her letter.

"What is that?" Thor asked after a moment of confused silence.

Tsunami shrugged. "Must be important if Ariel had to leave to find it."

"What do you think it does?" Thor looked at Tsunami.

The older prince shrugged. "I'm not sure."

* * *

"It's supposed to help us in the battle," Ariel explained in the war room.

There was an eruption of questions from the two princes and the four army generals.

Ariel's held drooped as she sighed heavily. "This is going to take a while."

* * *

**I realize it's short, but the main point is that I'm moving the plot along. I also have a new poll ready to be answered on my profile.  
**

**Please understand that I am asking what to continue. And I am signed up to be a beta reader as well! Thanks everyone!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey guys.**

**Sorry in advance if this is a bit angsty. My grandparents' dog, Roxy died early Thursday morning of cancer that no one knew about. I had pretty much cried the following 24 hours. I was closer to that sweet furry girl than anyone else. My dreams last night consisted of what she did as an energetic little girl. She was old, but never showed the signs of aging. She'd been in the family since 2005, receiving her from a dear friend and I miss her a lot. She was my furry little sister because she was always there to comfort.**

**Anyways, this chapter ended up being about Urchin and his past. He's a bit angsty in it and I apologize if it is heart-breaking at any point.**

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Chapter 26

Arista and Flounder sat in Ariel's grotto, watching Urchin pace back and forth, a current beginning to appear where he same. They were told by Triton to wait for him there for a private meeting between the four. None of the teens thought of what to expect. Urchin's thoughts, however, were preoccupied with the letter he had sent to Ariel just a day earlier.

_What if she couldn't handle what I had said?_ He began to dread even more with the passing seconds. _What if she says no? What if she swims away and never returns? What if she thinks I asked too fast? What if she decides to ask Tsunami or Thor instead? _"I can't take it anymore!" he screamed in frustration.

Arista and Flounder were taken aback at his outburst, staring at the merman in shock.

"It's only been a few minutes," Arista stated carefully with no idea why she was being cautious.

The guppy was trying to keep himself from getting hit by the green tail of his friend by hiding behind the middle princess. "Yeah Urchin," he finally said. "The king will be here soon."

Urchin stopped where he was and sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping with exhaustion. "It's not Triton I'm frustrated about. He can take all day if he wants. I'm more concerned with what Ariel is thinking."

"Another love letter, huh?" Arista smiled sweetly. "I know she loves you back Urchin. Don't worry so much about it."

Urchin's hands clenched at his sides, taking his friends by surprise. "It's not Ariel. I know she loves me. But it's what I wrote _in_ the letter." His hands relaxed as he faced Arista, tears suddenly appearing in his eyes. "I mentioned my parents."

The princess blinked in surprise while Flounder's jaw dropped. No one even realized that Triton had arrived as he floated where he was in shock. The young merman never mentioned his parents. Everyone believed he was abandoned. But no one, not even Urchin, knew what really happened.

"I mentioned that if they were here, they would be glad Ariel is my friend. They'd maybe even be proud that we are in love." He sighed heavily, his head drooping. "I just wish I knew them. I'm an orphan. They probably died when I was born."

"I don't believe that's the truth," Triton finally said, announcing his presence to the trio. "I remember Sebastian mentioning finding a young merbaby in a small cave about fifteen years ago. He mentioned that he was alone, but no one knew how or why. The child wasn't there when he returned. I always thought that might have been you when Ariel met you."

Urchin huffed out a breath and crossed his arms. "I guess I was abandoned then. I already know I can't marry Ariel. I don't know anything about my past except being alone for years."

"Maybe not," Arista tried. You could've been taken in by a family and not remember. It's not every day someone finds a merbaby all alone."

"Yeah!" Flounder agreed. "Sebastian probably didn't expect a family to find you when he went to see the king about what happened."

The merboy didn't even grin. "Thanks for trying guys. But maybe we should just focus on the oncoming war. Tsunami mentioned that Manta said there was a sorceress involved. The Sharkanians could be helping her."

And just like that, the four were now talking about battle plans.

* * *

Back at his cave home, Urchin couldn't help but think about who his parents could have been and what they could have been like. He had always believed he was abandoned to be an orphan but never really thought about the fact that they might have been killed. He didn't even know where he was from. His parents could be from Olympia for all he cared. But he didn't care. All he knew is that he never had a family.

At least until he met Ariel.

She accepted him as a brother for three years and so did her sisters. Triton even called him a son. He had come so close to being a cohort of the Lobster Mobster, but Ariel changed his mind entirely to what he could be. The royal family had been the only family he ever knew.

"Why couldn't I just know who my _real_ family was?" He fell asleep with that thought.

* * *

_Urchin opened his eyes and found himself in a real bedroom. There was a bed—which he was currently sitting on, a dresser off to the side against a wall, a few games spread across the floor, and a window overlooking a city. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there._

_He was about to get up and leave the room, when a figure swam through a seaweed curtain. A mermaid from what he could make out. Her face was a bit of a blur. But she had tanned skin, brown hair and an orange color tail._

"_Now we need to hurry before we're late!" she exclaimed in the sweetest voice Urchin had ever heard. "We're already late."_

"_Mom!" an irritated voice said as a young merboy entered the room. He looked about only four. "Do we have to go? I don't want to visit. Can't I stay here with my brother?" The merboy looked like the mermaid and Urchin assumed she was his mother. Only the merboy's hair was a lighter brown with a bit of blond in it._

"_Afraid not son," a deeper voice said from behind the seaweed curtain. "You know how your uncle and aunt hate to wait."_

_Who Urchin could only assume was the father finally entered. But he had lighter skin, blond hair like Urchin, a similar green tail, and the same green eyes. Urchin stared at the merman but followed as the three swam to another room down the enormous hall that Urchin currently ignored. They had gone to a nursery with a coral crib in the corner. He watched as the mother reached into the crib and brought out a small merbaby._

"_How is my little darling today?" she cooed sweetly. "My little Urchin."_

* * *

Urchin awoke with a start, breathing heavily and holding his hands to his head as if it would explode at any moment. He didn't know what had just happened, or what he saw. There was no way that was something he could just think of. He didn't have the kind of imagination Ariel had. He knew this was impossible.

"I need to see the king or Sebastian," he told himself. "Now."

* * *

The merman swam as fast as he could to the palace, not caring that it was the middle of the night. He only cared about trying to figure out what just happened. However, he never got the chance as he was spotted by a Sharkanian lurking nearby and was captured. Urchin struggled against the being that held him. The merman was stronger than used to be and slapped his captor's head, momentarily sending the Sharkanian into a daze. With the distraction, Urchin sped off toward the palace even faster.

The attack was beginning sooner than they had anticipated.

* * *

**I said I was sorry if it was heart-breaking.**

**Also, my spring break is sadly coming to an end. I hope you all are doing well in life {school or otherwise}.  
My advice for all of you: Keep your loved ones close. You never know when you'll lose them or how when it does happen.**

**Roxy was family, just like all pets are. I will miss her, but I won't forget her.**


	27. Chapter 27

**I hope the last chapter wasn't too angsty. But now I have the first major action sequence in the story. {Finally!}**

**Spoiler: both kingdoms are mentioned majorly.**

**Enjoy the suspense that I so very much suck at writing!**

* * *

Chapter 27

"Why would they attack now?" Arista asked groggily as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "They aren't stupid."

Urchin gave a bored expression. "It's the middle of the knight and no one would expect it. Make more sense?"

The princess perked up a bit and faced Triton. The king was rubbing his chin in thought, trying to formulate a plan. Sebastian watched in anticipation until he noticed Urchin had a confused look on his face and was looking almost like he had an off-topic question. The crab wanted to find out, but Triton finally spoke.

"If Sharga believes he can attack at our weakest, he should be prepared for the counter strike." Turning, the king ordered a nearby guard to wake King Augustus and tell him of the situation. "In the meantime, was there something else you had to tell us?" Triton turned back to the merboy.

Urchin gulped nervously. "Actually, I was hoping one of you could explain something to me."

"And what would dat be?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"Well," Urchin started but another guard rushed into the throne room.

"Your Majesty!" he said urgently. "Sharkanians are moving toward our gates as we speak! Emperor Sharga is leading them!"

Triton grabbed his trident and swam quickly to the gates. "Sebastian! Get my daughters to safety. Urchin, come with me."

The merboy followed quickly without hesitation. Once at the king's side, he subtly brought up the subject again.

"If now isn't a good time, I may not be able to ask again."

Triton sighed heavily. "I wish we could speak further on whatever you wish, but the threat is more important. If we have a spare moment, we will speak. For now, start a letter to Ariel and warn her of what has happened. Then return to the gates for further instructions. It is time I teach you how to lead an army."

Urchin nodded and swam toward the palace as fast as his fins could take him. With his pen moving faster than ever before, he subconsciously thanked Ariel for teaching him how to read and write. After all necessary details were written, he stuffed the parchment into an envelope and rushed to find the mail-dolphin. The dolphin wasted no time in the instructions he was given. Once Urchin received Ariel's last response, the mammal zipped off toward Lerdois.

* * *

It took under half a day as usual as the dolphin entered the gates of Lerdois. The guards regarded him and told him where to go. He found Ariel in the war room with Thor and Tsunami as he had in last week. It was only three weeks into her stay in Lerdois after all.

"Urgent message from Atlantica!" he all but shouted.

Ariel moved first, grabbing the letter quickly and reading it. She gasped. "The Sharkanians have attacked Atlantica! They are asking for immediate assistance if we are not otherwise occupied." The mermaid looked to Tsunami. "How many can we spare?"

The older prince grimaced. "With the Octapins attacking us now, I'm not sure. One of my men had spotted Ursula in the distance as well." Tsunami sighed. "Tell them I will send only a fifth of my men to their aid if they will send Apollo."

Thor's eyes widened. "No! You can't do that! If Apollo came here, they will know how to attack. Have them send someone else, like…Simon!"

Ariel stared at her friend in confusion. "Simon doesn't fight. Why are you acting so strange?"

The Olympian prince sighed in defeat. "My father was held against his will by an evil merman. He is Ton's boss. If the Olympian army is aiding Atlantica, we can't risk anything. They threatened my father to get me to distract Prince Tsunami with a peace negotiation for Lerdois and Atlantica. If I didn't do as he asked, he would destroy my father. I don't want to lose my only family."

Both Tsunami and Ariel floated in shock over what Thor had said. Before either could even utter a word, Ton appeared out of nowhere and tackled Thor to the ground. The young prince didn't even try to fight back. All he did was lie there in anguish over what he revealed. Though no one could see them, tears began to flow.

"Let him go!" Tsunami ordered the larger merman. "He did nothing wrong!"

Ton only glowered at the older prince, snarling in response. Ariel gasped and backed away toward the table. At seeing her reaction, Ton swept his tail toward the princess and knocked her into a wall. Tsunami couldn't react in time as she crumpled to the floor.

"Stop!" Tsunami shrieked. "Stop! Now!"

Ton watched Tsunami closely, narrowing his eyes.

"Let them go. If you want a prisoner, take me."

"Tsunami!" Thor's cracked voice caught his attention. "It's only a trap! Please don't do this!"

There was no other option for the older prince. "After losing my parents to grief when I was a child, I don't need to stay in command."

Thor didn't want this to be what he feared. But Tsunami was surrendering. He never saw his friend surrender ever before in his life! He knew what happened when Tsunami was young and wanted to help him ever since, but not like _this_.

Ton let go of Thor just as Ariel began to stir. Thor noticed the princess moving and sighed with relief, then watched closely for an opening to attack Ton. Tsunami just floated where he was. Ariel groaned quietly and nearly gasped at what she saw.

"No," she whispered to herself. "What happened?"

The princess didn't think, just acted. She pounced on Ton and sent him into a wall. It helped that she had escaped the grip of a giant squid the month before. Ton didn't have tentacles but he did have the strength of a shark. Ariel used that against him as he ended up barreling through the table and into the balcony stone railing.

"What just happened?" Tsunami asked in shock.

"Ariel," Thor answered simply. "I'll explain later. Right now, we have get a message to Atlantica and my father."

The mermaid kept up her dogfish and catfish chase as she swam out of the war room and toward the throne room. Ton stayed on her tail, steadily catching up. Ariel knew she had to act fast and put on a burst of speed. Using her trademark corkscrew, the princess made a sharp turn from a wall that Ton only slammed into. His impact had left a large dent but Ariel led him out of the palace and past the gates, shooting straight to the surface.

"This may be the only chance I have," she muttered as she saw a ship above her.

She went as fast as she possibly could and broke the surface. Ton followed her, but while her jump had sent her over the ship completely Ton had rammed right into the mast. The merman fell to the main deck in a daze. Considering it was daybreak, the crewmen were very bewildered to see such a creature on the ship.

Meanwhile, Ariel was safe in the water again, breathing heavily as she watched the ship for any sign of Ton. When she was sure he wasn't there, she swam back to Lerdois.

"Facing sharks and a giant squid have definitely benefitted for me lately," she commented after finding Tsunami and Thor in the throne room.

Thor responded with a crushing hug. "Your father would kill me if you were hurt!" he exclaimed as he released her with a smile.

"Where did you leave him?" Tsunami asked quickly.

Ariel took a deep breath. "I led him toward a human ship and I believe he is still aboard it. He didn't follow me back."

Both princes sighed in relief.

* * *

**Please say this sounded at least decent.  
**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey guys! I meant to upload last night, but it was 10 and my laptop was acting up. I woulda uploaded earlier but had an orthodontist appointment. Need braces sooner or later.**

**Then I have prom next Friday!**

**But first, onto Chappie 28!**

* * *

Chapter 28

The battle raged on outside the palace gates, citizens hiding in their homes for protection. In the palace itself were two kings, a princess and the army leader. A crab was not too far off as he relayed details from their latest letter.

"WHAT?!" the army leader shouted in disbelief. "How could this happen?"

The princess acted quickly. "Urchin, you know she was doing the right thing by attacking him. Thor and Tsunami could've been hurt, or worse."

Urchin settled down at his friend's words. "I know Arista. But I don't want to lose the only mergirl I've ever loved." The young merman set his jaw and faced the kings. "Triton, Augustus, we need a new plan. If there was someone on the inside and he threatened Olympian, there may be another hand, or fin, in this attack."

"He is correct Triton," Augustus spoke. "All I recall from my son is that my kingdom was threatened. If this same one is behind all of this, we may have to change tactics entirely."

"We're going to send a spy!" Arista shouted before her father could speak. Even Sebastian was shocked by her outburst. "And Urchin is the only candidate."

"Wait…what?" Urchin was beyond confused now. "I just want to end this war and see Ariel home again."

Arista rolled her eyes in annoyance. "The fact is: you're more qualified than my father to spy on our enemy. You've helped my sister spy on Manta, Ursula, even the Sharkanians! No one else here can take the job. Flounder won't fight. But I know you will." She laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Ariel would do the same for any of us."

The merboy hung his shoulders in defeat. "There's way out of this is there?" he asked with the smallest hint of a grin.

Arista nearly squealed with approval, but contained herself. Triton sent for Apollo to escort Urchin out safely as the plan was devised as quickly as possible. With himself behind enemy lines, Urchin knew he was closer to bringing Ariel home from whatever was going on in Lerdois. He wanted to see his love home safe again, and to hold her close in his arms.

* * *

Spot charged again at the Sharkanians, sending them flying through the water with a fling of his tail. Simon followed the whale with a charge of his own as he ran a whole flank of the enemy over, knocking them all unconscious. The two celebrated the small victory with their own version of a high-five with their tails. The next flank appeared and Simon signaled to a group not far off. At the signal, Pearl rode out on her squid cycle, leading a whole group of merteens with rocks ready fly. Pearl gave a signal and the rocks were flying into Sharkanian faces. Even Korrako joined in the fun as she slingshot a few herself. Ollie and Gabriella were in the group as well, defending their home.

Little Evil appeared a moment later, his tail sparking wildly. He charged at a few Sharkanians who were too terrified to care. Little Evil watched them with a laugh as Pearl stopped beside him.

The merteen smirked. "Not bad L.E."

Little Evil smiled. "Thanks Pearl. Not bad yourself. But we still have a lot more to go."

With that, the two led their brigade back to the palace for more reinforcements. Korrako stayed by Pearl's side, following through with her cousin's request. She only hoped Tsunami was alright in his battle.

* * *

"Ready?" Triton asked Urchin.

"As I'll ever be," the merboy responded and looked up at his friend's father. "I promise to come back."

Triton gave a soft smile. "Just be careful…son."

Urchin gave the king a warming embrace, hoping it wouldn't be his last. The hug was cut short though when the two heard a squid cycle approach.

"Pearl," Triton confirmed as the mergirl swam up to the king.

"You highness," she responded. "We were able to push the enemy back, but it will only hold for a short while. However, we were able to find a safe route for any who wish to evacuate the city. At your orders, we will move."

"Thank you Pearl," Triton replied. "I will give the word in time. But our most important move is about to be made."

The merboy took a shaky breath and nodded. "Let's go."

"Good luck Urchin," Pearl said her tone nervous. "Be safe."

Urchin nodded curtly and followed the king to the gates. Apollo was already waiting with Typhoon by his side. The hero acknowledged the merboy fondly.

"I do hope this plan works," Apollo stated unsurely.

Triton laid a hand on Apollo's shoulder. "I trust Urchin if my own life hang in the balance. This will work."

Urchin situated himself of Typhoon's back, rubbing the sea dragon's neck comfortingly. Apollo took his place behind Urchin, grabbing the reigns and directing Typhoon toward the battlefield. The sea king watched as Atlantica's only hope disappeared into the murky blue fray.

"Be safe Urchin," Triton whispered into the current. "Be safe, my son."

* * *

Apollo and Urchin neared their target within minutes as Sharga's commanding officers came into view. Typhoon had avoided every obstacle thrown their way, but still had to pass the Sharkanian Emperor's main centuries that guarded his post. Urchin happened to see one of the guards holding a familiar looking rock.

"The Great Lump!" the merboy shouted almost frantically. "We need to stop them before it's too late!"

"What is the Great Lump?" Apollo asked urgently.

"A creature that causes great destruction for whoever commands it," Urchin explained. "Ariel and I stopped it once before, but it took both of us. The rock is its prison. Don't let it break or else it will destroy everything in its path."

Apollo urged Typhoon to move faster. Just as the head commander was about to smash the rock, Typhoon dashed past him, Urchin grabbing the rock just in time.

"Not on your life Sharga!" the merboy taunted.

Sharga growled in turn. "Retrieve the lump, but kill the boy."

Apollo guided Typhoon away as fast as the sea dragon could swim, but it wasn't their lucky day. Sharkanian guards cut off Typhoon's escape so quickly that it sent Urchin flying off the saddle! The young merman tumbled headfirst into a large boulder, dropping the lump. Apollo and Typhoon were seized when Urchin finally came around a few moments later, rubbing his sore head. The head commander was holding the lump as well.

"Now you'll learn not to mess with Emperor Sharga!" he taunted, laughing mockingly. "I'll just smash this on your head!"

Urchin hung his head as the commander raised the lump above his shark head. Urchin's eyes lit up when he thought of something. He looked up at the Sharkanian, a sly grin on his face.

"Wait!"

The Sharkanian froze and stared at the merboy. "What?" he growled.

"Wouldn't it be better if you announced your obvious victory in front of King Triton?" Urchin suggested, surprising Apollo.

The commander turned to Sharga. "Emperor?" he questioned cautiously.

Sharga's head was throbbing with the possibilities of Triton's priceless expression when the Sharkanians had won. He smiled his devious toothy smile and nodded his approval. Looking at Urchin, he waved his hand dismissively.

"You can kill him now," he stated boringly.

Apollo took a chance. "But wouldn't you want to drag your new prisoner to the front line and show Triton who you want to thank for his demise?"

Urchin quickly caught on. "That would definitely put a damper on things for the great sea king," the merboy added. "He would be so disappointed he might surrender."

Sharga considered this. "Very well. But bring them both, tied up."

The guards went to work and dragged their new prisoners with them on their swim to the palace. Apollo glanced at Urchin every now and then along the way, wondering something. Urchin caught him glancing numerous times and finally spoke up.

"Something wrong?" he inquired.

Apollo was caught off guard. "You've been hanging around Ariel, haven't you?"

Urchin shrugged. "I picked up a few things from her over the last few years. We've been on quite a few adventures."

"Gotten in trouble as well I'm sure," Apollo guessed with a smug grin.

"She told me what you did in the Land of Heroes," Urchin explained. "Typhoon has been by your side ever since."

"We do have some time," the merman pointed out. "What's your story?"

Urchin sighed. "I'm an orphan. Three years ago, I was recruited by the Lobster Mobster hours before I met Ariel. She found me as I was stealing for them and tried to turn me around. It wasn't until the palace was attacked by Crab Louie that I realized I was better than them. I helped Ariel stop him and we've been best friends ever since."

"Sounds like more than that the way you talk about her," the hero hummed.

The merboy sighed happily. "We are." A frowned replaced the smile in a flash. "But she's in Lerdois, helping them fight off the Octapins. We can't really be together right now." Sharga smiled sinisterly at hearing this information while Urchin's smile returned. "But I know she feels the same either way."

"That's good to hear," Apollo said kindly.

"So you and the mermaid are not just friends anymore, eh boy?" Sharga mocked.

The merboy scowled. "You wouldn't care to use me as bait. I'm worth nothing to anyone being an orphan."

"But the king wouldn't dare to risk his own daughter's…merboy-friend," Sharga joked mockingly, seeing Urchin's face go pale. "That's what I thought."

* * *

**I love how Triton is now seeing Urchin as more of a son. It's so cute! But the Sharkanians are becoming worse. Too annoying if you ask me.  
**

**Chapter 29 is in the works!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Morning guys!**

**Well, I'm up earlier than I thought I'd be. Prom was last night and it was awesome! Went with a friend of mine and we have quite a bit in common. No awkwardness _whatsoever_! Saw my crush a few times... No details.**

**But here's Chapter 29 which I finished before Prom. This time we're in Lerdois with Ariel and we meet a new character. But this will show Ariel's skills from the series (that I remember anyway). Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 29

Ariel knew the situation was bad before she even read the letter. The first thing she noticed was _urgent_ nearly burnt onto the envelope. She also knew her father had written it.

Thor and Tsunami were now at the front line, leading the troops against the Octapins. With both princes out in the field, the princess had to send word to them. But she had to know what to send. Opening the letter, she found more than one writing style.

_Ariel,_

_I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but Urchin was captured during a spy mission that we tried. We know he is alive, but Emperor Sharga is holding the Great Lump over our heads to make sure we don't send anyone else. I don't want you to worry anymore than you need to. I need to get back to my troops. I am sorry my daughter._

_Father_

_There is no easy way to say I'm sorry, but I have good news: Spot and everyone are helping us out a lot. Even Simon! They are doing great under Pearl's command. Little Evil is doing a great job as second captain and Flounder is his lieutenant. Princess Korrako is doing just as well. So you can tell Tsunami not to worry._

_Everyone misses you and hopes this ends soon so you can be home again. Urchin said the same before he was…captured. But the city is being evacuated for safety, Archimedes among them. I know you'd be happy to hear about that._

_I need to go and help the other teens now, but I do hope you're alright over there._

_Arista_

The red head was clutching the letter tightly, her eyes burning with tears that want to fall. She had just heard from her father and sister that her love had been captured and the Great Lump was the new threat. Ariel was more concerned about Urchin. If anyone sent another being across the enemy line, the Great Lump would be broken and Urchin would most likely be killed. She knew that. It made her gut wrench in fear and her heart ache. She wasn't going to lose her love anytime soon.

Dropping the parchment, Ariel swam out of her room and out of the palace to the battlefield. Thor was near the main outpost when she arrived, looking shocked to see her.

"Ariel?" he said in shock. "You're sup—"

"We need a spy!" she exclaimed quickly.

Thor shook his head uncertainly. "What?"

"A spy," the princess repeated. "To send to the threat in surrender. Daddy just tried to send Urchin with little luck because he was captured." Thor could tell that Ariel was tried hard to stay focused. "It's the only way to get inside and stop them."

The young prince thought for a moment and sighed. "You're right. F we can't stop them like this, we need someone on the inside. I guess we could send—"

"Me."

"No."

"Why not?" Ariel was getting desperate without realizing it.

"Because you're a main target and they won't let you know anything."

"But they'll take me to their leader as a sign of surrender," Ariel explained. "Daddy is one of the only two kings around here. They're after both of them. If I go, Daddy will have to do something and there will be a faster end."

"I know that."

Ariel was confused now. "Then why did you say no?"

Thor gave a soft grin. "Because I'm going with you. You're not going in alone on my watch." Ariel smile. "Plus, both of our fathers are the target. We're doing this together."

"That's more like it," Ariel commented with a wide grin.

"What's more like it?"

Both younger royals turned to find a tired Tsunami floating nearby.

"Uh…" was all Thor could utter.

Tsunami's fatigue changed to a scowl in less than a moment. "No."

"What?!" Ariel and Thor shouted quickly.

"Because I'm in charge," the older prince answered calmly.

Ariel scowled at the nineteen year old. "If you don't, you'll be held responsible for a longer war. This needs to end now if we want our old lives back."

Tsunami sighed in defeat. "If you're both going to do this, your fathers will kill me for letting you."

Ariel smiled again, hugging Tsunami tightly. Thor nodded his thanks and the two younger merteens headed off for their 'surrender' and the hopeful end of this war. Two weeks is too long for everyone already. Ariel wanted to go home and see her sisters, friends, and especially Urchin. Thor was the same, minus a mergirl to love. But that didn't stop him.

* * *

It didn't take long to find the head Octapin since she was at the front of the battle herself, fighting off the toughest troops of Lerdois. Ariel watched with a gulp of fear as she neared the terrifying leader of their enemy.

"E-excuse me?" she stuttered hesitantly.

The leader turned around quickly, pure hatred in her eyes aimed at the mermaid. "What?" she hissed. Her green octopus skin was flawless, but her face couldn't have the same justice.

It took all of Ariel's willpower not to gasp in shock. "I am Princess Ariel of Atlantica."

"And I am Prince Thor of Olympia," the prince said as boldly as he could. "We are here to surrender."

The Octapin narrowed her eyes at the two. "Where is the third?" she hissed.

Ariel knew she had to lay on the charm now. "We tried our hardest to convince him of surrender. It is our only option as we are outmatched. You are all so much more powerful than us. Please, take us as your prisoners."

Both Thor and Ariel held out their wrists in surrender as the Octapin grinned, her sickly sharp teeth showing. She called two of her guards toward her and ordered them to take the merteens to the camp. Ariel let out a silent breath she didn't know she was holding. Thor willed himself to stay with Ariel, reminding himself it was a lie.

"Take them to Ursula," the head leader commanded. "She'll be happy to see the mergirl in our grasp."

The princess looked to Thor in terror. Neither of them thought she was really there. Now it was too late to turn back. They really were trapped this time. The Octapin leader turned to face them.

"The princess of Atlantica and prince of Olympia," she stated, venom behind every word. "I am Trilos, your new friend."

She waved a guard off and faced the merteens again. Ariel and Thor thought for sure they would never see their families, friends or homes again. Thor thought he would never see his father again or become king of Olympia. Ariel kept thinking about her friends and family, all the adventures she wanted to have still, and even Urchin. They both believed this was the end for them.

But Trilos took them by surprise: she removed her face which was really a mask. Behind it was actually a very pretty Octapin with purely flawless skin and a perfect green face. Her dark blue hair even fell to her waist. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of amethyst.

"I blame Ursula for making me wear that," Trilos chuckled.

The two merteens were speechless.

* * *

**Told ya. What's ya think of Ariel this time? How about Trilos? Is she good? unexpected? Let me know!  
**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey all! I know it's been a while since I uploaded, and I have been catching up on my _stupid_ senior project. Everything's good now and I have finished Ch 30! So the drama continues. Also, say hello to an old-ish character! Just read the description carefully and you'll figure it out.  
**

* * *

Chapter 30

The two merteens stared at the green Octapin in shock. She was actually beautiful. Even Ariel was surprised, but Thor's jaw had dropped through the sea floor! Trilos was trying to act completely normal no matter how uncomfortable his stare made her. The Octapin cleared her throat, effectively getting their attention.

"Look, I know it's shocking to hear someone badmouth Ursula since they're on her side. But you two are going to help me stop her."

Ariel tilted her head in confusion. "You're not on her side?"

Trilos sighed. "It's a long story. I'll explain when we're through with this senseless war. Now come on."

She released the prince and princess, wondering what was wrong with Thor. The prince was now looking at the Octapin with wonder. Ariel elbowed him in the ribs.

"What?" he exclaimed offensively.

"We need to _not_ scare our only chance of stopping the war," the redhead reminded.

Thor's shoulders sunk in shame. "Sorry. She's just…well…"

"Beautiful?" Ariel smirked with a raised brow.

The prince glared at his friend. "No taunting. You and Urchin aren't much different."

Ariel stared at the seventeen year old. "He thought you were going to marry me!" she all but shouted. "It's not my fault he loves me!"

"So you're saying it's my fault?" Thor said offensively. "I had nothing to do with it!"

"I didn't say that! I love him too!" Ariel bit back.

"Hey!" Both merteens faced the Octapin. "If you two had broken up at some point—"

"What? Where did you get that idea?" "No! We're friends!"

Trilos shrugged and started swimming. "Suit yourselves. We better get moving before someone finds out I'm working with you two. Come on. Ursula has way too many spies around here."

Ariel stared at the Octapin. "Like where?"

Trilos bit her lip. "Atlantica, Olympia and Lerdois."

Thor clenched his fists. "At least now I know why Ton had come along."

"Ton?" Trilos stopped and faced the merteens quickly. "The toughest and biggest get-outta-my-face merman bodyguard Ton?"

"I think so," Thor said, taken aback. He pointed a thumb at the mermaid. "Ariel outsmarted him a few days ago."

Trilos grinned with relief, surprising the two. "Thank you for stopping my Uncle."

* * *

"Okay," Ariel finally said after they had swam for a while, sounds of the battle far behind them. "So who's your mother?"

Thor looked at the Octapin with anticipation. "I'm wondering the same.

"She's in hiding," Trilos explained. "Her sister always overshadowed her and Mom decided to forget it and disappear for a while. Father left her for my aunt and never returned."

"What about your uncle?" Thor asked curiously.

"He tried to marry my mom," Trilos answered. "But she saw through him. He's also my dad's brother. Never knew anything but strength, never brains."

Ariel gave a small smile to the Octapin. "At least he can't bother you again. He was caught by humans."

"Isn't that bad?" Trilos gasped.

Ariel thought for a moment. "I've seen a human study fish before. Maybe this will be the same."

Trilos sighed. "Maybe."

The Octapin led the merteens toward Ursula, none of them knowing what to expect. At reaching the sea witch, Thor tensed up while Ariel scowled. Trilos had them wait while she swam up to Ursula. The young leader was nervous as she moved closer.

Ursula gave a semi-caring, semi-evil grin. "Welcome back, my niece," the sea witch greeted. "I see you brought a few guests."

Trilos nodded meekly. "Yes Aunt Ursula. But they do not know that we are related. However, Princess Ariel and Prince Thor have surrendered."

Ursula scowled. "What about Prince Tsunami?" she asked, her tone scolding.

The young Octapin flinched at the harshness behind it. "They could not convince him."

The sea witch glanced at the redhead to find an expression of hatred, and grinned maniacally. "They will have to do for now. Go get your uncle and bring him here."

"Yes Aunt Ursula." Trilos began to leave, but was stopped.

"And if you fail to bring the other next time," Ursula began, trailing off for her niece to get the point.

Trilos gulped silently. "Yes ma'am." She swam off before she had to endure a lecture. "I need to get them out of here. Ariel doesn't deserve this."

Meanwhile, Ursula kept wearing her trademark evil grin and was eying the two royal merteens closely. "My, you have grown quite well in the last year Ariel."

"Cut the small talk Ursula," Ariel bit back. "Who's really in charge of this attack?"

"Oh my dear princess," she fake whined. "I'm hurt by your words. I'm second captain in all of this and my dear new…friend is in charge. Anything he says, I deliver."

Thor scoffed. "You expect us to believe that? I bet you're just a puppet!"

Ursula faced the prince, angry dark violet eyes boring into his deep brown ones. "Don't badmouth me merboy. I'm more powerful than even Triton himself."

"Yet you've always lost to Daddy!" Ariel pointed out, Ursula whirling to the mermaid. "Face it Ursula, you'll never match up to him."

"That's what you think mermaid," Ursula challenged. "Right now, your dear friends Urchin and the Great Apollo have been captured and are being brought here to face our leader. He is more powerful than I, but only because of his mother: the entrapped sorceress your father locked away."

Ariel narrowed her eyes. "She never had a son," she reminded. "Even if she did, Daddy would have locked him away just as quick."

Ursula gave an evil smirk. "She adopted him."

"Why should we believe any of this?" Thor interjected. "You don't have any proof."

"I should be enough proof," a stronger, gravelly voiced answered.

Ariel and Thor grew stiff as they watched a merman approach. The first noticeable trait about him was his tail: bright green with shades of purple thrown in. His hair was a shoulder-length medium blue. He was also slightly slimmer, but still fit enough to break a rock in half. His eyes were a dark amethyst like Trilos.

"I suppose it is best to aware Triton of the…situation," the merman taunted, smirking madly. "But I think we can let him worry a little longer while we wait for your friends."

Ariel stiffened, remembering that Sharga had captured Urchin and Apollo. She tried to stay completely expressionless, but couldn't with knowing her love was in danger like her. The merman caught the distressed air about the redhead and chuckled maniacally.

"I have heard about your new boyfriend, Princess Ariel," he pointed out mockingly. "I heard he is quite a mer-devil, swimming headfirst into danger. He is much like you in many ways. Although, I do wonder how to you ended up with an orphan."

Ariel scowled at the merman. "That's none of your business." She tried to put as much venom as she could into her words.

Thor tuned back to find Trilos holding her hand on her hip, gripping something he didn't notice before: a knife! It was camouflaged well in her dark Octapin skin, not showing even a hint of it being there. He also noted the Octapin's stance. She seemed ready to pounce on the merman. This confused the prince a great deal.

Trilos, however, was only watching her uncle, making sure she was ready to attack when necessary. The merman had trained her in battle, but she knew his weaknesses well. It also helped that she had a vendetta against him for leaving her mother.

"You see Ariel?" the merman mocked. "I have held a grudge against your father for many years. He imprisoned the sorceress who took me in after my parents abandoned me. Triton locked my mother away and I have vowed for years to release her from her cell. All I need is, well, the trident. And you, my dear, are the ticket to my prize."

He held Ariel's chin in his hand, receiving a deadly scowl from the young princess. Ariel yanked her head away and swept her tail up to hit the merman. A loud _slap_ was heard and the merman was rubbing his left cheek, glowering at the redhead.

"You will regret that," the merman warned.

"Make me," Ariel challenged.

Just as he was about to strike her, a voice stopped him. "Hellion!"

Hellion turned around, spotting the female Octapin. She had the same skin tone as Trilos, just a shade darker. Her hair was gray and white like Ursula's. Ariel had never seen the Octapin before, only knowing who Ursula was. Thor was confused as well. Trilos tensed up quickly, knowing exactly who it was.

"Hellion growled at the creature. "I thought you were in hiding," he gritted. "Why are you here?"

"I came to stop you from hurting these innocent merteens!" Her voice was a bit gravelly, but still understandable, kinda like Ursula's. "And you shouldn't be doing this! Triton deserves wrath, but not from you."

"And you should be the one to do it?" Hellion countered angrily. "Not a chance. This is why I left you in the first place: you can't take a life when it _needs_ to be done!"

Ariel and Thor stared at each other, then at Trilos. The younger Octapin was biting her lip nervously, hoping everything would just stop. Ursula was scowling at the two arguing, waiting for the mocking to continue. In the meantime, Sharga and his guards had arrived with Urchin and Apollo. Hellion narrowed his eyes menacingly at the white haired Octapin.

"We will finish this later…Morgana."

* * *

**I told you it was old-ish. How'd ya like it? I tried my best to describe her since I haven't watched the movie in a while and I'm going offa what i remember. i think it's normal on this sight now anyways. But I hope ya liked!  
**

**A quick side note: my 18th birthday is wednesday and I'll be busy for a while as well. I'll try to do as much as possible.**

**Thanks again for all the support guys and girls!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Finally Finished 31!**

**Yup and the senior project is done-minus the presentations in a few weeks. Got a new iPad Mini as well and am enjoying that. Might respond to reviews on there. But please enjoy the details I have fixed!**

* * *

Chapter 31

Urchin and Apollo were dragged along, not realizing where they were going. They only knew it was bad. With Triton not knowing what was going on, Urchin had to hope Ariel didn't know about had happened. But he doubted it. He missed his mermaid, wanting to see her again and just hold her in his arms. It had been to long for them to be apart. Apollo could tell the young merman wanted her back. He couldn't blame Urchin.

"You'll see her again," Apollo encouraged.

Urchin gave the smallest hint of a smile. "That's what I'm hoping."

"Quiet back there!" the heard commander barked at the two.

The merboy stuck his tongue out at the commander. Apollo chuckled at his spirit.

Sharga rolled his eyes. "We are almost to our destination. You will be seeing your precious mermaid again soon."

His eyes lighting up and heart pounding, Urchin had to use all his willpower not to give it away that he was excited. "How much longer? I'm getting tired of swimming." He was surprised his voice didn't crack. _Must be from years of conning._

Sharga smirked. "Not much longer."

Apollo narrowed his eyes at the Sharkanian emperor. "I doubt that."

It was right after he said that did they all hear an argument going on just beyond a nearby reef. Once around the reef, Sharga growled in annoyance at the merman and Octapin. Hellion heard the emperor and ended his argument with the Octapin.

"Emperor Sharga," Hellion greeted, annoyance still evident in his tone. "I see you brought the merboy."

Urchin spotted his redhead instantly, giving a subtle smile and a questioning look.

"Indeed," Sharga responded as Ariel nodded as subtly as she could. "Triton is very worried for his youngest daughter as well."

Thor and Apollo nodded at one another while Urchin and Ariel continued their silent conversation. Trilos caught onto the mermen and didn't even try to do anything. She pretended that she was focused only on her uncle and the emperor. Ursula was just smirking in delight.

"I believe we have our deal then?" the sea witch cackled.

Sharga and Hellion nodded.

* * *

Morgana stayed out of the way as the three sinister villains made their plans to defeat Triton and Augustus. Ursula was too delighted to think of how to end them. Hellion and Sharga kept their heads as they tried to think of a clear way to finish them off. Trilos watched quietly as the merteens caught up with one another about the past events, yet kept glancing at Morgana. She wanted to be at her side after what had just happened. But she couldn't.

Ariel kept trying to hold back her tears at seeing Urchin, overjoyed to see him alive. Urchin couldn't wipe the goofy grin that was on his face. Thor kept grinning at the two while Apollo kept his focus on the villains.

"What happened exactly?" Ariel finally asked her love.

Urchin grimaced just thinking about it. "We had decided to send a spy into the Octapin's forces, but we entered their territory wrong. Apollo and I were caught after Sharga had brought out the Great Lump. But we're together again and that's all that matters."

Ariel bit her lip and looked down. "I went in as a spy, but surrendered. It was the only way in." Looking back up at Urchin, she saw a distraught expression and fear. "It was a more peaceful way to do it."

Urchin sighed heavily after a moment. "At least you're safe." He wanted so much to caress the redhead's cheek, but strained against his bonds. "Well, so much for a hug for my girl," he remarked sarcastically.

Ariel giggled a bit at the merboy. "No kidding. I wish I could just hold our hand right now." The mermaid settled for scooting closer and snuggling into his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

Both merteens smiled at the comforting warmth of one another. Thor glanced at them and then at Trilos. He had no idea why, but seeing her was so much different than seeing one of his friends. The prince thought he was just sleep deprived but his heart thumped wildly whenever she even glanced their way. When she locked eyes with him, Trilos could sense it too. She would always deny herself at every glance. Morgana caught on after a while and smirked.

"It's obvious," she deadpanned.

Trilos stared at the sea witch's sister. "What are you talking about?"

Morgana chuckled lightly and moved closer to the Octapin commander. "It's obvious you like him. The one with the Mohawk and blue tail, yes?"

Trilos tried to stay completely placid, the look in her eyes giving her away. "I doubt it. I'm a war commander, not some love-struck little mergirl like the princess."

"Hey!" Ariel protested.

"Besides, I don't even know him," Trilos added.

Morgana laid a hand on the young Octapin's shoulder. "You don't have to know someone to know you like them."

Trilos raised a brow at her. "You mean like you and…him?" She hated mentioning the merman. "I know the whole story, no matter how young I was at the time."

The older female sighed. "That was a mistake." Trilos scowled at the elder's words. "But you weren't. I would give anything for him not to be—"

"I know!" Trilos bit. "But it can't happen."

Trilos swam away from the elder Octapin and sat on a nearby boulder. She looked behind the rock when she heard some shuffling around. After noticing the Lerdosian prince, she became bore.

"Took ya long enough," she deadpanned at him.

Tsunami glanced up, seeing the Octapin teen leaning on her elbow. "Sorry," he whispered. "I came to see what was going on."

"Not a good idea buddy," she commented. "Hellion is taking charge and preparing the troops to march on Atlantica."

Tsunami floated up beside the Octapin. "I need to stop him. Please help me."

Trilos sighed. "Just follow along then."

* * *

"His right flank is centered more to the east," Hellion continued. "We need to send a small group to the west and attack from the inside."

"What of the other six daughters?" Sharga asked.

"If you find them, end them." Hellion smirked and continued pointing at the map.

"Hey! I found a spy!" Trilos shouted, catching their attention. "Found Princey here watching from around the reef."

"I will stop you!" Tsunami shouted overdramatically.

Trilos threw Tsunami onto the ground, shocking the other four captives. Hellion and his allies laughed. Ariel blinked in shock, but watched to find out where this was going.

"You think you can stop us?" Ursula mocked. "I should turn him into a mollusk!" Her cackled echoed through the small reef.

"Maybe a sea slug instead," Sharga offered jokingly.

Hellion smirked evilly. "How about we leave him on dry land?"

Tsunami gulped audibly while Trilos paled. _That wasn't part of the plan._ she thought bitterly. Ursula gestured to one of the Octapin guards nearby to throw him with the others. Ariel and Thor were now very concerned. Urchin kept staring at the prince, wondering where he had seen him before. The villains studied the merman and then left to plan some more.

"Tsunami," Ariel finally gasped, moving toward the nineteen year old prince. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Tsunami answered, holding his head as he sat up. His bonds were looser than the others' but still tight. "What about you guys?"

Thor grinned a bit. "We're good. At least we're all here now. But what were you thinking? They're relentless right now."

Tsunami leaned against the nearby rock with a heavy sigh. "Trilos got me in. I was spying and she caught me. We came up with a quick plan, but it didn't work right. Now I'll be stuck on land and Korrako will be running the kingdom at a too young age."

Urchin looked at the others. "I guess we have no choice but to really surrender," the merboy pointed out. "Either that, or death."

Apollo and Thor exchanged a saddened look while Tsunami's shoulders slumped. Ariel bit her lip, desperate for a plan as Urchin scooted closer to her. The merboy nudged her slightly with his elbow. The princess gazed sadly into her love's eyes and leaned into his shoulder, nearly sobbing in defeat.

"It's all over," she gasped. "We can't win this."

Urchin furrowed his brow and set his jaw. "No."

The other four stared at him in shock. Even Trilos overheard a bit at this point, knowing they still had a chance.

"We're not giving up. We still have a slim shot." He lowered his voice. "If Triton can form a small team and send them here to know our position, it should be enough."

Trilos grinned and moved toward them. "Keep it down over here!" she ordered carefully, using fake authority. "No more talking." She smirked at the group, lowering her voice as she turned only the slightest. "I can help you out there."

Thor turned away. "Why should we trust you?"

"Because I got Tsunami here."

The older prince nodded as they stared at him. "She sent a message to me and I rushed over. Trilos isn't as bad as you'd think."

Ariel, Apollo and Urchin shrugged and agreed. Thor scowled but nodded his confirmation. The six quickly tried to form a plan but were stopped when Trilos was called away to do some job. The other five tried to continue coordinating, but Apollo froze when he heard a familiar growl not far off.

"Typhoon," he whispered.

He and the four merteens turned to find the mighty sea dragon bound by chain and being reigned by Hellion himself. The evil merman was nearly beating him with a whip he held tightly in his hand, making Apollo grow red with anger. No one treated his friend like that! The hero snarled his dissatisfaction of the treatment and tried to break from his bonds. Suddenly, Apollo propelled forward and shoved Hellion out of the saddle. Typhoon recognized his rider and broke the chain on his snout against some coral. Not even noticing the cuts he received, the sea dragon spewed fire for an escape.

"I'll go find help!" Apollo called out as Typhoon high-tailed out of the reef.

Hellion was furious. "Tie them all to the rocks!" he barked at the Octapin and Sharkanian guards. He turned to the merteens. "No more fooling around! You're not going anywhere. Not until I say so. Not before Triton sees his daughter's demise!"

Ariel put on as much of a scowl as she could before Hellion turned away. Just as fast as they had been tied up, the guards were gone and Ariel broke down. Her head was now on Urchin's shoulder once again. Urchin could only lay his head on hers as a comfort.

* * *

**Hope ya enjoyed this twisty chapter! Read & review and lemme know if there's anything cool I could use!  
**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but I've been uber busy with school projects. My biggest project this year is supposed to be presented on tuesday and I'm NERVOUS AS #?! {It's that crazy}**

**But I have this chapter and one more to upload to make up for my absence! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 32

Triton read every report that came in, hoping to hear of Ariel somewhere. He was worried sick for his youngest daughter. She was brave enough to go headfirst into danger, but could she survive this war? Sharga had captured Urchin and Apollo. No one had sent word of Ariel and Thor's capture after that. The sea king was on edge the whole time.

"Your Majesty!" Pearl called from a ways off.

The king sighed heavily, preparing for the worst. "Any news of Ariel?"

Pearl pursed her lips. "Not yet sire. But I have received a message from Lerdois. The messenger said it was from Tsunami himself."

Triton lit up as he took the letter. Once opened, Triton scanned the letter quickly. He froze at seeing one sentence: _I feared they may be gone_. The king reread the letter.

* * *

_King Triton,_

_I wish I could say that your daughter is safe, but she was upset and swam to the enemies in a fake surrender. Thor went with her to ensure her safety. However, they have not sent any word of what has transpired. I feared they may be gone. It wasn't until I received a note from the enemy's head commander that she had a plan. Trilos is the Octapin leader and warned me of the dilemma at hand. Ariel, Thor, Urchin and Apollo are to be killed before your eyes._

_I am going myself to the enemy line and try to save them. It will not be easy, but I pray we will all survive this. My only wish is that Korrako remain safe. My cousin is the last heir to the Lerdosian throne. If she is gone, my family's bloodline will end. She is very important now._

_I promise to do my best to bring Ariel home, but I can't promise everyone's safety. I know you understand this Triton. I'm sorry._

_Prince Tsunami_

* * *

Triton almost stopped breathing. Pearl knew Tsunami's one wish at that time: Korrako's safety. The prince wanted her to be safe so she could rule if anything happened to him. Triton just couldn't cope with the fact that they had all risked their own safety for three kingdoms and everyone in them.

"We're going to save them," Triton declared.

Pearl blinked in surprise, but kept herself calm. "What's the plan sire?" She wanted so bad to see Tsunami again as well as her friends.

Arista, Flounder and Sebastian were called to the king and the five began to formulate a plan, starting with confronting the enemy head-on.

* * *

The sea witch cackled at the four merteens. Trilos was nearby, trying not to cry as her only friends were trapped. The Octapin leader didn't look at her leaders, but at the sea floor. Sharga watched the teen leader, intrigued by how emotional she had become. The emperor turned to the merman nearby.

"It is your call," Sharga announced.

"We do still require them." Tsunami snapped to attention at the familiar voice. "But the Lerdosians, I will see myself."

"Lerdosians?" Thor repeated quietly, looking at Tsunami.

The older prince looked at his three friends. His expression was confused, wondering what that meant. Even Ariel could see the pain that he wanted unleashed on the Sharkanians. But more than that, she saw the clear confusion.

"Ah, so you don't know?" Hellion mocked. "Well Prince Tsunami, say 'Hello' to your long lost brother."

"What?" Urchin gasped. "I'm an orphan. I have no family."

Tsunami just stared at the merboy he barely met. He looked so familiar: the hair, the tail, the eyes. The young merman looked just like his father!

"No!"

Everyone turned to find Korrako and Pearl nearby, fear in their eyes. Pearl was just staring on, her breathing heavy. Korrako, however, was mostly fear, but also disbelief. The two mergirls had overheard Sharga and the merman.

"He's not my cousin!" the younger shrieked. "Tsunami is!"

The evil merman laughed. "You really are younger, aren't you? He was taken before you were even announced little princess. King Reef and his queen had two sons. You have two cousins, which means a battle for the crown and less work for us!"

He and Sharga grinned wickedly while Ursula's cackle echoed through the reef. Trilos stayed still, not looking. Morgana was off to the side, watching everything unfold.

Thor scowled at the green Octapin teen with disgust. "You knew?! This whole time, you knew!" Thor struggled against his bonds on the rock.

Urchin and Tsunami began to struggle as well. Ariel only watched her friends' futile attempts. Unlike them, the mermaid had a plan: keep their captors talking until they have leverage.

"What do you have against Atlantica and Lerdois?" the redhead asked, catching everyone by surprise, even Ursula. "I know the sea witch just wants revenge, but what about the rest of you?"

The princess shot a look at Sharga and just egged him on. The Sharkanian Emperor growled menacingly at the redhead. Trilos stayed ready to lunge at him, but her stance went unnoticed by the crowd.

The emperor chuckled. "I only want control of the seas and to be feared by all."

Ariel smirked. "But I'm always in the way."

Sharga snarled at the mermaid. "You, are a nuisance."

Ariel shrugged nonchalantly. "I've been told."

Hellion scowled at the redhead's calm demeanor. "You're not escaping as princess. Nothing you say will make us turn away."

_There's the leverage!_ "True, but maybe Trilos can," Ariel answered, gesturing toward the young Octapin.

Hellion was hesitant, but still faced the teen. "What does she mean?" he gritted.

Trilos mustered all the courage she could, catching Ariel's meaning, and faced the merman. "She means I can stop you." Her voice was clear and confident to her complete surprise. "You may be the one who planned all of this attack, but you're still my father."

Hellion growled at her. All six merteens plus Sharga were in shock. Ursula just scowled. But Morgana blinked in surprise, wondering where this was going.

"Trilos," the green sea witch tried.

"No Mother," was the straightforward answer. "I need to do this. He hurt you, yet trained me. I can take him down."

The merman laughed evilly. "You? That's rich! No one can stop me, not even my puny daughter."

"We'll see about that," Trilos snarled.

She launched, her knife now aimed at Hellion's chest. All that was heard were Thor's and Morgana's shouts for her to stop.

* * *

Urchin had finally found a piece of a broken shell nearby and used his tail to grab it. Ariel was now helping him during all of the chaos. Right after Trilos and Hellion locked in battle, Sharga's guards began attacking the Octapins. Ursula couldn't control her troops anymore during the fight. There may have been few, but the chaos was major in damage.

Just as Urchin had the shell in his tail, a Sharkanian was thrown his way and the shard was thrown into his abdomen. Ariel shrieked when she saw the object hit her love. Tsunami heard her as he bashed a Sharkanian into the rock.

"Get the spear!" the older prince ordered.

Thor wasted no time. He grabbed the shaft of the weapon and pointed the head at their bonds. The strong seaweed rope was cut in moments. The merteens were free, but Urchin was hunched over in pain. Ariel wouldn't leave his side as the princes had to cover an escape for them.

"We can't keep this up!" Thor deadpanned after punching another Octapin.

Ariel was about to answer when Hellion threw Trilos at the ground in front of them. The young leader held her left arm as blood began to flow out. Thor immediately went to her side, not even realizing it. Tsunami moved in front of their small group, ready to fight back.

Sharga laughed maniacally. "There's no escape."

Hellion gave a wicked grin as he reached for and grabbed Ariel by the arm, yanking her into his arms and keeping her captive.

"ARIEL!" Urchin shouted painfully, tears brimming his eyes as he clutching his abdomen. "Why are you doing this?" he questioned Hellion.

The merman only smirked evilly. "To rid the seas of Triton of course!" he answered casually. "No one needs a king. They need a dictator who will rule with an iron fist!" He squeezed Ariel's neck forcefully, her nails digging into his flesh. "And this princess is my ticket to the top."

The princess stopped struggling uselessly and looked at Urchin. _I love you_, she mouthed to him. Urchin couldn't take anymore. He forgot about his pain and launched at the merman. Hellion didn't have a chance when he felt a fist hit his jaw and knock his grip on the princess loose. Ariel didn't even hesitate to help Urchin back up and rush him out of there. The others followed as fast as their fins could carry them, Trilos in tow. Pearl and Korrako met them at the edge of the reef and helped in any way they could.

The group of seven rushed to Atlantica where the fighting would be less. Triton and Augustus were already waiting for them. Arista waited with a few doctors ready to act. Before they even made it to the gate, Urchin had passed out from the pain and blood loss. Ariel moved faster to get him to a doctor. The mermaid collapsed into Triton's arms after Urchin had been taken into medical care. Pearl and Tsunami took Trilos with them to the medical wing of the palace as well. Thor sat by the gate, catching his breath until he passed out from the rushed swim to Atlantica.

No one saw Hellion and Ursula in the distance dragging Morgana to the palace…

* * *

**I know it probably wasn't the best this time, but it's been ready to roll for a couple weeks. Sorry.**

**Next chapter to be uploaded now!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Told ya there would two. And the story isn't over yet. And I hope you enjoy a little something cool in this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 33

Ariel woke a few hours later in her own room. The princess's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright. She rushed out of her room and into the throne room, finding nothing wrong. Triton and Sebastian were going over paperwork and Flounder was chasing Urchin around the pillars. Arista was even relaxing nearby.

Urchin stopped upon seeing the youngest princess. "Ariel!" he called happily.

Ariel rushed to the merboy, remembering what had happened. "Urchin! You're alive!" She gave him an octopus hug. "You're not even hurt! How are you feeling?" she asked as she let go of her friend.

The merboy gave her a weird look. "What are you talking about?" he asked confused. "I'm fine. And we're supposed to go adventuring with Arista today. Flounder's ready to go."

"Come on sis!" Arista called she swam up. "We're gonna be late for dinner if we don't leave now."

The middle princess and Flounder began to swim off. Urchin reached for Ariel's hand and urged her to follow. The princess looked at her father. Triton hadn't said anything yet.

"He's busy," Urchin urged. "Come on, we found this awesome place to check out!"

Ariel stared at her friend. "But what happened to the war? Lerdois? What about Tsunami and Trilos?"

They were outside when Urchin stopped. "What are you talking about?" he asked quizzically. "Who are Trilos and Tsunami? And what war? Nothing has happened in months."

"Months?" Ariel repeated, unsure of everything. "But you were hurt. The last thing I remember is you attacking Hellion and I brought you home with a severe gash in your chest and—"

Urchin silenced her, placing his index finger to her lips. Ariel's breath hitched at the touch. She wanted him to hold her, pretend that she was imagining this now. If this was a joke, it was a good one. The palace was still in one piece. But no one knew about the battle.

"Ariel," Urchin finally sighed. "You've been sleep for a couple of days. I wouldn't blame you for reacting like this after falling off of Stormy's back during that ride. But not—"

"Asleep?!" she nearly shrieked. "What do you mean asleep? I've been away from home for a month and you guys make up some story that I'm hallucinating?"

Urchin raised a brow at her words. "I don't even know what you were talking about."

Arguing wasn't going to get her anywhere. The mermaid decided to try something else. Ariel grabbed Urchin's neck with both hands and moved in, giving him a full on kiss. She calmed down from the forcedness at the contact, softening her movement. Urchin was wide-eyed and had no clue how to react. When the princess was about to pull away, Urchin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She didn't expect this to work.

The kiss was broken when a Sharkanian attacked them. Urchin was knocked out while Ariel was cornered.

"No one can save you now!" Hellion cackled from behind her.

* * *

A scream echoed through the palace, waking Ariel up from whatever happened. The princess rubbed her aching head as Triton rushed by. Arista appeared at her sister's side in a flash.

"What was that?" Ariel asked, trying to forget about what happened in her nightmare.

"I don't know yet," Arista answered in a rush. "But we're going to figure it out." With that, Arista swam out of the infirmary and toward whatever had screamed.

Ariel stayed put, trying to remember what had happened. Then she looked around the infirmary, finding soldiers lying on cots. In the far corner, a smaller, more frail merboy was being tended to. The princess caught sight of a green tail and her eyes widened. She tried to get up, but her head was spinning. Thor was swimming by he noticed her nearly fall off the cot.

"Easy there princess," he reassured, helping her lie down again. "You've been through enough already."

"What happened?" she asked in a suddenly raspy voice.

Thor pursed his lips. "Urchin is being tended to with his injury. You and I passed out and were rushed here right after he was. Tsunami and Pearl went to take care of Trilos. But we're all fine now."

"What was the scream?"

Thro sighed. "Trilos. She woke up and freaked out. Said she saw Hellion and Ursula in her room. The guards have been there since we came back. Nothing's there."

"What if they are there?" Ariel countered. "What if they're hiding somewhere in the city and are waiting to attack? I won't take that chance."

The prince held her shoulders carefully and firmly. "Your father has every single one of his uninjured guards searching every nook and cranny of Atlantica. Nothing's going to happen anytime soon. I promise."

Ariel was skeptical, but relaxed her body. The princess soon realized how much pain she was in and soon fell asleep. Thor swam off to tend to the injured guards, leaving the princess to her sleep.

Ariel was still agitated in her rest though, only having nightmares of what could happen if the war did continue. She became scared, beginning to thrash around in her sleep. Her bandaged arm became worse with every toss around the cot. Any nurses that were within earshot tried to wake and calm the princess. Ariel was soon screaming in her sleep. Triton returned when his youngest daughter's screams reached the throne room. The king watched painfully as Ariel thrashed around wildly in pain and fear, knowing there was nothing he could do.

Urchin woke up after a while, his injuries fully taken care of. The merboy sat up and found his best friend thrashing around on her cot, screaming at the top of her lungs. It had been only minutes, but it felt like hours until Urchin slowly made his way over. Triton moved aside at the merboy swam closer to the princess.

As the best friend of Ariel, Urchin had promised to keep her safe on every adventure, no matter what happened. This time was different. The war had left a scar on all of them. Urchin reached out and touched Ariel's shoulder. Ariel began to visibly calm at the touch. That's when they all noticed her puffy eyes. Ariel had been crying. Urchin couldn't take the sight and engulfed his mermaid in a hug. He wanted to let her know he was there for her, but didn't know how. Ariel suddenly hugged him back, her slim form shaking with fear and sobs.

"Urchin," she barely whispered.

"I'm here," Urchin responded without hesitation. "I'm here. I'll never leave you. Never. I swear it."

Their hug tightened only the slightest as Ariel moved her head to his chest. Urchin slowly let go and held her in front of him. Ariel was now awake and gazing at the merboy, her hand placed on his cheek. The nurses had all left when she was awake, but Triton stayed to make sure she was alright.

"I thought you were dead," she whispered. "I saw you lying in front of me, not waking up. You weren't moving. Hellion had hit you and stabbed you and—" Her voice cracked.

Her words made him remember his real wound. "I'm alive aren't I?" he reminded her. "He never killed me. I was only hurt. You carried me back in time. We're both alive."

Ariel shook her head, biting her lip in remorse. "The nightmares are never going to stop. He's going to find us and try again. I know it." Her tone was more than serious; it held pure terror as she looked at Urchin. The merboy knew she was beyond concerned and had to do something about it.

An idea hit him. "I'm going to sleep right next to you," he offered. "You calm at my touch. I know I can keep you safe while you sleep."

Ariel blinked in surprise. "Urchin, I don't know if that's such a good idea."

Urchin didn't care. "Ariel, I love you. I want to keep you safe. And if this is the only way, then so be it."

Triton's grip had tightened on his trident at this. He tried not to show any issue, finding it impossible as the two continued to sort out their plan.

"Alright," Ariel gave in. "But only to keep me safe. I love you too, but Daddy won't be happy about this."

"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters to me," Triton stated, his tone denying his anger at Urchin for coming up with the idea. The king trusted the merboy, but he was still _highly_ protective of his daughters. "You will stay in the infirmary where I can keep an eye on you though."

Ariel gave a light grin while Urchin nervously bit his lip. "Thanks Daddy," Ariel said lightly. She reached up her free hand and Triton took it.

"Just stay safe," Triton pleaded.

Ariel nodded and the sea king swam off to his other duties. Urchin held Ariel's hand tightly, giving his most loving expression.

"I promise to keep you safe," he swore.

Ariel smiled and held his cheek. "I know."

The merboy finally got up his courage and kissed her for the second time in his life. Ariel didn't even protest as she kissed back. The mermaid's arms wrapped around Urchin's neck and he slowly broke the kiss, gazing into his love's eyes.

"How about we get some rest?" he asked, fatigue starting to show in his features.

Ariel nodded as he laid next to her, his arms wrapped around her waist as they fell asleep.

* * *

_Atlantica shone brightly in the morning light as her citizens were just waking up for their busy day. The market was opening for the day's trades while merboys and mergirls rushed to school and parents swam to work or errands. The palace was still quiet while the royal family began to stir. Triton was waking as were six of his daughters. The ones awake got ready for the day while the youngest still slept._

_Ariel was sound asleep in her bed with an arm wrapped around her. The youngest princess was just a bit older now, maybe eighteen. She began to stir, waking the one holding her. With a giggle she pried the arm off and turned around._

"_Wake up sleepy-head," she cooed._

"_Not now," the deep voice grumbled. "Ten more minutes?" The figures face looked up groggily at the princess._

"_Daddy will be mad if we're late Urchin," she pointed out. "We need to hurry if we want breakfast."_

"_I hate waking up early in your home," Urchin argued badly as he sat up and stretched out his arms. "We need our own place."_

_Ariel giggled from her vanity mirror. "Not before Daddy chooses the next ruler. You know that."_

_Urchin groaned, falling back on the sponge sheets. "We all know it's going to be Attina. Why can't he just say that already?"_

_Ariel gave her boyfriend a pointed look. "Even you know that he needs to observe each of us to know who's more suited for the throne. Besides, you're lucky he even lets you sleep in here with me."_

"_I swore no funny business," Urchin reminded as he sat bolt upright and faced his girlfriend. "He even threatened me with the trident. What else was I supposed to say? 'I'd love to sleep with your daughter while you aim that weapon at my face every day for the rest of my life.' He won't let _that_ fly."_

"_You wanted to date the king's youngest daughter," Ariel joked._

"_I didn't think about the security issues," Urchin deadpanned._

_The princess laughed and continued getting ready as did Urchin. The two were leaving the bedroom in only minutes as everyone began to meet at the dining hall. Attina and the girls were all gossiping when Triton arrived while Ariel and Urchin were discussing their plans for the day._

"_I hope everything is well," Triton stated threateningly at Urchin._

_The merboy flinched. "Yes sir," he answered as calmly as possible._

_Ariel and her sisters giggled at the merboy. He was like the sea slug in the room since he had moved in. He was an orphan after all. But that didn't deny anything that he was the only possible suitor for the youngest of the seven princesses._

"_Father," Attina started, catching everyone's attention. "I was wondering if I could observe the humans today. In case we need any sort of…er, leverage to use agaainst them."_

_Triton stopped eating, staring at his olodest daughter quizzically. "What kind of leverage did you have in mind Attina.?"_

"_Well, I wanted to see what exactly they do while on ships," Attina explained. "We could have reason to rage war on them if the—"_

_Ariel slammed down her utensils. "Sorry in advance, but that is _not_ required Attina."_

"_Why not Ariel?" Attina asked without missing a beat._

"_Because I have seen what they do," The youngest countered. "They only care about their own affairs. Pirates only attack other humans. Royalty cares for their kingdoms like we do. Families live together, dealing with their normal disagreements much like us. They are like us in so many ways. We just live in the sea while they live on land."_

_Triton and the princesses froze. Urchin smirked at their vaccant expressions, knowing what the king was already thinking._

"_Well, I suppose we found the next ruler of Atlantica," the merboy stated calmly._

_Triton nodded and cleared his throat. "I believe so," he agreed while the six princesses hung their heads._

* * *

Urchin slowly blinked the sleep out of his eyes, smiling brightly as he held Ariel close. The princess snuggled closer to the merboy. He was about to say something when Prince Tsunami appeared.

The prince chuckled at the sight. "I heard you two had grown closer," he commented.

Urchin groaned as Ariel sat up. Both were annoyed at being interrupted, but let it go. The prince had his arms crossed over his chest, an amusing smirk on his features.

"What's going on?" Ariel asked straightforward.

"Triton wishes to see you both in the throne room." With that, Tsunami left with a chuckle.

"I'm gonna find him and give a good sized hit on the head," Urchin grumbled.

Ariel giggled at her love. "Maybe later. Let's get going before Daddy gets suspiscious."

"He's already suspiscious!" Urchin countered. "He knows about us without either of us saying a word." He flailed his arms at her overdramatically. "Can't we just say it officially?"

Ariel smiled in an understanding way. "After Daddy talks to us. Promise."

Urchin pouted but agreed as the two swam to the throne room. Triton and Tsunami were already waiting with Thor, Flounder, Arista and Sebastion. Pearl arrived just as Ariel and Urchin , Arista and Triton were the only ones who knew why the popular merteen was there. Once everyone was situated, Triton spoke.

"Hellion is here," he deadpanned, making the tension worse. "Trilos indeed saw him and Ursula. But a few of my guards eyed them in the village. All citizens are currently evacuated which made the situation simpler. However, they could be anywhere in the kingdom now. Every ablebodied merman and mermaid are involved in the search. Pearl's infantry is joining as well. And she is here to report."

"Thank you sire," Pearl stated. "My troops have spotted them in a few places already. Some have said the market place and others have said the palace gardens. They seem to be movig all over the place or are sending Sharkanians and Octapins to confuse us. Nevertheless, they are here."

Ariel perked up. "What troops exactly have said this?"

Pearl hesitated for a moment. "Under my command are Flounder, Spot, Simon, Gabriella, Ollie, Korrako, Little Evil, and every merteen available. All are very capable of stealth and speed as well as quick attacks. We aren't killing, but causing distractions for the royal army to move in. We only start the fight."

"That was more than I aksed," Ariel commented. "But thank you Pearl."

Arista grinned brightly. "Pearl is the best commander I have seen in this army!" the middle princess exclaimed. "I've even joined a few times. But this infantry is well disciplined. We're all teens but know what's at stake."

"Don't worry Ariel," Flounder joined in. "We're very good at what we do."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Ariel mumbled as the conversation shifted.

* * *

**Okay, okay. I may have _suggested_ something in there, but they're just a bit older in that one part. Spur of the moment does that.**

**Also, I'm working on some more Ice Age and Little Mermaid fanfics and feel free to give me ideas while I write any I have. And with that, I will see you all when things at school calm down.**


	34. Chapter 34

**FINALLY! Took long a enough to just finish this chapter.**

**I do hope you guys like this one while I try to write 35. Wow this story is getting longer.**

* * *

Chapter 34

Urchin was the first to notice the older prince's unusual silence. True, the merboy had barely met him hours earlier. But this was really odd for a prince. Not even Thor was _this_ quiet. It had started right after the plan was set in motion. The merteens were to patrol Atlantica with Simon, Spot, Apollo and Typhoon, and Augustus. Triton and Sebastian were staying in the throne room, messengers at the ready to relay information.

Tsunami was following orders without question, but not voicing anything of help. But what Urchin found strange is that the older prince would keep looking his way as if he was trying to recognize him. The merboy was a bit disturbed about it. They had barely met after getting captured and didn't talk yet, considering Urchin had passed out.

"Anything you wanna tell me?" Urchin asked when he caught Tsunami looking again.

The prince started but regained his composure. "Not really."

Urchin saw through the lie. The two were at the back of the patrol and Arista was starting to split them all into pairs. The merboy hoped he would be stuck with Tsunami so he could get him to talk.

"Thor with Trilos," Arista ordered. "Ollie with Gabriella. Attina with Apollo and Typhoon. Andrina with Simon. Adella with Flounder. Alana with Pearl; please focus on the job at hand. Urchin with Tsunami. Aquata with Spot. Korrako with Lucky.q Little Evil, you're with me. Split up and search everywhere. Report back to Father if you find or see anything."

Everyone nodded and swam off. Urchin and Tsunami headed to the west side of the kingdom where most of the fighting had taken place. The merboy noticed that his partner was looking everywhere but at him now.

_This mission must really be taking a toll on him._

Tsunami sighed, catching the merboy's attention. "Look, I know I've been acting weird lately. It's just that I can't stop thinking about my parents."

Urchin was taken aback. "How do you think I remind you of your parents?" he asked confused.

The prince gave another sigh and faced the merboy. "You look like my father."

* * *

"That was far too close!" Ursula hissed at Hellion.

"Relax my dear, there is nothing wrong with sending a message to the enemy of our location," Hellion reassured as he watched the palace. "Besides, with my daughter notifying them herself, they will believe she is on their side."

Ursula gave a bored expression. "She is on their side," the sea witch deadpanned.

"But, with careful prodding, she will come back to us and do as we wish." Hellion gave a sinister grin and pulled the sea witch closer to him. "You did fall for me because of my twisting plans. Am I wrong?"

"You still left my sister for me," Ursula reminded with a deep chuckle.

"Exactly, and I left my daughter behind as well," Hellion reminded. "She was soft as her mother. But training her did take longer than expected."

"Just throw her in Shark Canyon or the abyss with that creature!" the sea witch hissed.

Hellion rolled his eyes. "I used both multiple times. She had a more difficult time in that trench than expected. But she also tricked him each time."

"I was only trained through spells like my sister," Ursula explained. "If I had training like your daughter did, I would have been queen years ago."

'And you will be soon, my dear," Hellion responded sweetly. "Soon."

Ursula grinned evilly and turned to speak with the Octapins while Hellion smirked and returned to watching every movement at the palace.

"I swore to my mother that I would avenge her," Hellion whispered to himself. "And avenge her I will. Even if it meant dying."

* * *

Ariel was going over strategies with Triton and Augustus in the throne room when the first messenger arrived.

"Princess Ariel!" the messenger called.

She looked up at the sound of her name and swam over quickly, taking the message. "Thank you."

The messenger nodded and floated at attention until he was given instructions. Meanwhile, Ariel unrolled the small scroll and read it to the kings.

_Octapins have been spotted in the marketplace. They appeared to be lost until another appeared and relayed information to them. At least it seemed like that. Within moments, they split up with only a few left where they originally were. We're still scouting._

_Thor_

Ariel looked to her father. Triton considered the message for a few moments before speaking. "Tell them to keep at their post until further information arrives," the Atlantican king ordered to the messenger.

The merman nodded and rushed back to Thor and Trilos. The princess took a deep breath as she watched the merman disappear. Triton and Augustus both noticed her distress. Augustus nodded to his friend and went to marking the map while Triton swam closer to his daughter.

"You and I both know the risks," the sea king stated.

"That doesn't mean anything," Ariel argued.

Triton was taken aback. "There are villains out there every day."

"Not like Ursula and Hellion!" Ariel shouted. "I'm afraid for their safety. All of them. Especially Urchin."

Triton laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I understand your fears Ariel. I was the same way when you were captured." He sighed heavily. "And when your mother was…"

Ariel heard her father trail off and turned around, hugging him close. "I know Daddy."

The king held her close. "I know this is a bigger concern, but you need to have faith that we will stop them. And that we'll all be safe."

"I know. But all I can do is worry about them." A tear began to form in Ariel's eye. "I love my sisters and care about my friends. But it's Urchin I want to see again the most."

Triton grinned and pushed Ariel to an arm's distance to look her in the eye. "The love you feel for one another will get both of you through this. I know it."

Ariel began to smile again. "Thanks Daddy."

"Now, let's go wait for another message from the scouts."

The two swam back inside and rejoined Augustus at the map.

* * *

**Hope it worked even for being a bitter shorter than the others. And if you have questions let me know in the reviews. Thanks!**

**Almost forgot: Im graduated as of two weeks ago! Been job hunting and studying for driving and all.**


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